Former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a rape case by a special court in Bengaluru. The court, designated for elected representatives, delivered the verdict on Saturday, August 2, 2025, convicting Revanna in one of the four rape cases registered against him in the Hassan district.

The case pertains to a 48-year-old woman who worked as a domestic help at the Revanna family's Gannikada farmhouse in Holenarasipura. According to the prosecution, the victim was repeatedly raped by Revanna in 2021, during the COVID-19 lockdown, at the farmhouse and in a Bengaluru residence. It was also alleged that Revanna filmed the assaults.

Additional City Civil and Session Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat pronounced the verdict, convicting Prajwal Revanna on charges of rape, sexual harassment, and criminal intimidation. In addition to the life sentence, Revanna was slapped with a fine of ₹5 lakh. The court also ordered that the victim be given a compensation of ₹7 lakh.

The sentencing follows Revanna's conviction on Friday, August 1, 2025. During the hearing on Saturday, Revanna pleaded for a lesser punishment, claiming he was innocent and that his "only mistake was his 'fast' growth in politics". He pointed out that the victim did not complain to anyone about the alleged rape until certain videos were circulated. Reports indicate that Revanna broke down in the courtroom upon hearing the verdict.

Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of JD(S) Supremo and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, had been under judicial custody since his arrest by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on May 30. The SIT used "global best investigation practices" to gather evidence, including DNA tests, which helped secure the conviction. Despite Revanna's efforts to conceal his identity in the videos of the assaults, investigators were able to identify him through distinctive features such as a mole on his left middle finger and a scar on his left hand.

The case gained prominence after pen drives containing videos of the alleged sexual assaults began circulating in Hassan in April 2024. Following the surfacing of these videos, a formal complaint was filed by a former domestic worker, alleging sexual harassment by both Prajwal and his father, Revanna. Prajwal Revanna left the country on a diplomatic passport on April 26, 2024, after the polling for the Lok Sabha elections. The Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations on April 27, 2024, and JD(S) suspended Prajwal from the party on April 30, 2024.