BENGALURU, 9 JULY

The Karnataka High Court (HC) on Wednesday directed suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna to approach the sessions court for bail in the high-profile rape case filed against him.

The court clarified that Revanna could return to the HC if necessary, after the lower court considers his plea.

Justice SR Krishna Kumar, who presided over the matter, observed that it would be more appropriate for Revanna to exhaust all remedies before the trial court before seeking intervention from the HC.

This marks the second attempt by Revanna to secure bail in the case.

Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi, who appeared for Revanna, argued that the court was well within its powers to hear the bail application directly.

However, the bench maintained that the correct legal course would be to first move the sessions court.

Following Navadgi’s request, the HC directed the trial court to decide on the fresh bail application within 10 days from the date of its filing.

Revanna is the primary accused in four separate FIRs involving allegations of sexual assault, voyeurism, and circulation of obscene material. The cases emerged after over 2,900 video clips allegedly depicting sexual violence were widely shared online and via social media platforms.

The City trial court has already framed several charges against Revanna, including rape, criminal intimidation, voyeurism, and distribution of private images without consent.