Bengaluru, 14 May

JD(S) MLA and former minister HD Revanna was released from the Central Jail at Parappana Agrahara at Anekal town on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Tuesday.

A Special Court for Elected Representatives on Monday granted bail to him in connection with a kidnap case. The 66-year-old former minister, son of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in an alleged case of abduction of a woman, linked to the allegations of sexual abuse of women by his son and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, on 4 May.

The special court judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat heard the matter and granted conditional bail to Revanna. As the imprisoned leader walked free after spending six days in the jail, his supporters greeted him with slogans and a large convoy of vehicles followed him. Revanna went to meet his father Deve Gowda.

While granting the bail, the court invoked conditions, such as Revanna will be given bail upon executing Rs 5 lakh bond, he should not be allowed to leave the country, and he should not try to influence the victim or other related parties to the case.

Revanna's three-day police custody ended on 8 May, following which he was produced in the XVII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, which remanded him to seven days’ judicial custody, till 14 May.

The case was registered following a complaint by the woman's son, who alleged that his mother was sexually abused by Revanna's son Prajwal. The woman was allegedly abducted to prevent her from testifying against Prajwal, police sources have said.

The SIT has also secured the custody of Revanna's confidant Sathish Babanna in connection with the case. The SIT arrested Babanna on 3 May and subsequently rescued the woman allegedly from a farmhouse in Mysuru’s Hunsur taluk on 4 May, hours before the arrest of Revanna from Deve Gowda's residence in Bengaluru’s Padmanabhanagar.