Prajwal Revanna sexual abuse case: SIT files charge-sheet against 39 for circulating explicit content

SIT charges 39 individuals for distributing explicit content linked to Prajwal Revanna’s sexual abuse case amid political controversies.

The Special Investigation Team, probing into the circulation of explicit video clips and photographs related to multiple instances of sexual abuse allegedly committed by former MP Prajwal Revanna, has filed a charge sheet in a Hassan court against 39 people. Many of the accused are said to be people associated with political parties.

Poornachandra Tejaswi M.G., who was an election agent for Prajwal Revanna during the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, filed a complaint with Hassan CEN Police on April 23, 2024, alleging that some people were circulating “photos and videos carrying morphed images of the JD(S) candidate through pendrives and WhatsApp messages” in the constituency to prevent people from voting for him in the election.

In his complaint, he named Naveen Gowda and others as accused. The police registered the case under the Information Technology Act, 2008, besides the sections concerned under the Indian Penal Code.

Later, the case was handed over to the Special Investigation Team constituted by the State Government to probe the alleged sexual harassment committed by Prajwal Revanna. Additional SP of Hassan M.K. Thammaiah, who was part of the SIT, investigated the case and filed the charge sheet that runs into over 13,700 pages, including documents related to the case.

The team investigated the role of 52 people and finally found materials related to 39 people and named them in the charge sheet. Naveen Kumar N.R., alias Naveen Gowda, a resident of Bengaluru, a native of Belur taluk, Karthik of Kaduvinakote, who was earlier the driver of Prajwal Revanna; Devaraje Gowda, an advocate who has identified with the BJP, Harish Gowda, who earlier worked for Prajwal Revanna, are among those named in the charge sheet.

The accused allegedly purchased 70 pendrives to circulate the obscene content, and the police reportedly found that Harish, one of the accused, purchased them by paying through a UPI payment. The police collected the details of the purchase.