India witnessed one of its most shocking political sex scandals in Karnataka, ending with the rare conviction of a sitting MP. Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and a political figure endorsed by Narendra Modi, was sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2025 for rape.
The case began in 2019 when Karthik, a long-time driver in the Revanna household, discovered nearly 3,000 explicit videos on Prajwal’s phone, showing women being assaulted without consent. Despite reporting it to the family, he secretly copied the footage to a pen drive—a discovery that would later topple one of Karnataka’s most powerful families.
The videos targeted domestic workers, party staff, government officials, and police personnel. Some women were visibly resisting, crying, or begging for help, including one in her 60s. Complaints were delayed as victims feared the influence of the accused. The first formal FIR came from Prajwal’s own election agent, claiming morphed and obscene videos were circulated to damage him politically.
Just before the 2024 Karnataka elections, thousands of pen drives were found scattered in Hassan. Citizens who plugged them into computers discovered videos showing the MP in sexual acts. Public outrage followed, protests erupted, and Prajwal fled to Germany on a diplomatic passport. He returned to India in May 2024 and was arrested by an all-women SIT.
Forensic reports, DNA evidence, and hours of video footage confirmed sexual assault, intimidation, and abuse spanning years. By August 2025, he was convicted and fined over ₹22 lakh, including compensation for the victims. Today, the former MP earns ₹522 per day as a library clerk in Parappana Agrahara prison.
The case highlights a larger issue: in 2022 alone, 31,000 rapes were reported—around 86 daily—but only about 5,000 convictions resulted from nearly 198,000 trials. High-profile offenders often escape justice or benefit from repeated paroles.
