Bengaluru: Three officers of the Karnataka Special Investigation Team (SIT), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who investigated the sexual assault cases involving Prajwal Revanna and subsequently secured his conviction, have received the Union Home Ministry Medal for Excellence in Investigation, the Chief Minister’s Office said on Saturday night.
The three officers honoured with the medal are Inspector Shobha, Assistant Sub-Inspector Rathnamma and CHC Balakrishna.
The officers were part of the SIT, CID team that investigated the sexual assault cases against Prajwal Revanna. Their investigation resulted in his conviction in the cases, according to the official communication issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
The Union Home Ministry Medal for Excellence in Investigation recognises officers for outstanding work in criminal investigation and their contribution towards securing justice through effective and professional investigations.
The Chief Minister’s Office congratulated the three officers for their achievement and their role in the investigation.
Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a landmark rape case. Special Court for MPs/MLAs in Bengaluru, presided over by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, held him guilty on Aug 1, 2025, and on Aug 2, 2025, pronounced the life sentence.
The case involved the sexual assault and repeated rape of a 47-year-old domestic worker at the family’s farmhouse and residence in 2021, along with the recording and dissemination of explicit videos.
The investigation and trial of former MP Prajwal Revanna—who was convicted on August 2, 2025, and sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and related offences—involved several distinct investigative, forensic, and legal hurdles.
Many of the leaked and recovered video recordings did not clearly show the accused’s face. Investigators had to match unique physical markers—such as birthmarks, moles, and specific body tattoos—using medical examination photographs and forensic comparison techniques.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had to process and analyse hundreds of explicit videos and thousands of digital screenshots, creating individual victim folders and sorting overlapping crime scenes across multiple locations, including farmhouses and private residences.
Prajwal was sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life under Sections 376(2)(k) and 376(2)(n) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), alongside concurrent rigorous imprisonment terms for related charges including sexual harassment (IPC 354A), assault with intent to disrobe (IPC 354B), voyeurism (IPC 354C), criminal intimidation (IPC 506), destruction of evidence (IPC 201), and violations of the Information Technology Act (Section 66E).
The court imposed a total fine exceeding Rs 11.50 lakh, with roughly Rs 11.25 lakh ordered as compensation to the survivor. Revanna has challenged his conviction and life sentence in the Karnataka High Court, contesting the survivor’s testimony and the forensic/video evidence.
In December 2025, a division bench of the Karnataka High Court rejected his plea to suspend the sentence and grant bail, citing the gravity of the offences and pending cases. Revanna faces additional separate cases involving allegations of sexual abuse and assault.
Earlier, Prajwal fled to Germany shortly before the scandal broke in late April 2024, requiring international coordination and his immediate arrest at Bengaluru Airport upon his return on May 31, 2024.
Survivors and witnesses allegedly faced threats of violence, jail, or intimidation throughout and after the proceedings, requiring direct court interventions for police protection. Incidents such as unauthorised electronic devices, such as a mobile phone and a pen drive, being recovered inside his high-security prison cell further spotlighted ongoing security and influence challenges.
–IANS–
