Bengaluru court extends Prajwal Revanna's SIT custody till June 10

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: A court here on Thursday extended till June 10 the Special Investigation Team (SIT) custody of former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of rape and sexual abuse against several women.

He was produced before the special court for elected Representatives which had on May 31 remanded him to SIT custody till June 6.

The 33-year-old grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda had failed in his bid to retain the Hassan Lok Sabha seat in the recent polls. The extension of custody was granted on Thursday, with the court acknowledging the need for further investigation.

The SIT sought additional time to gather more evidence and interrogate the accused comprehensively. SIT officials arrested Revanna soon after he landed at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport from Germany on May 31.

He had left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan went to the polls. A 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on his whereabouts had earlier been issued by the Interpol, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation.

A Special Court for Elected Representatives issued an arrest warrant against Revanna on May 18, following an application moved by the SIT. He was arrested in a case registered against him in Holenarasipura in Hassan district on April 28.

He was accused of sexually harassing a 47-year-old former maid. He is listed as accused number two, while his father and MLA, H D Revanna, is the primary accused. Prajwal Revanna has been booked in three cases of sexual assault.

There are also charges of rape against him. The cases of sexual abuse came to light after pendrives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26.