Cyber-Coercion Case: Karnataka High Court Seeks SIT Objections on Prajwal Revanna’s Bail Plea

BENGALURU: The High Court of Karnataka has officially issued a notice to the State’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) directing it to file its statement of objections against the regular bail petition preferred by former Hassan Member of Parliament, Prajwal Revanna. The bail application stems from a criminal case registered against him involving allegations of visual cyber-coercion, non-consensual recording of explicit video communication, and criminal intimidation.

The matter came up for preliminary hearing before a Single Judge Bench comprising Justice M. Nagaprasanna. After briefly hearing the initial submissions made on behalf of the petitioner, the Bench directed the prosecution agency to submit its written reply to the bail plea and scheduled the next hearing for July 3.

Background and Prosecution Narrative
The underlying criminal dispute dates back to an incident that allegedly began in 2019. According to the prosecution's case, the complainant had approached the then-sitting lawmaker to secure a school admission for her son under the designated MP quota at a local Kendriya Vidyalaya.

The victim alleged that between the years 2019 and 2021, the accused exploited this introduction by repeatedly initiating video calls to her. During these virtual interactions, the petitioner allegedly used coercion and undue influence to compel the woman to disrobe and appear nude on screen.

The investigation reveals that these electronic communications were surreptitiously captured, recorded, and stored by the accused without the complainant’s knowledge or explicit authorization. Subsequently, these digital recordings were allegedly utilized as leverage to criminally intimidate and threaten the victim, forcing her into continued compliance under the threat of leaking the explicit files into the public domain.

Statutory Penal Provisions
The First Information Report (FIR) registered against the petitioner invokes a combination of gender-specific offenses under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with tech-related penal provisions under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000:

• Section 354A (IPC): Sexual harassment.
• Section 354B (IPC): Assault or use of criminal force to a woman with intent to disrobe.
• Section 354D (IPC): Stalking through electronic tracking or communication.
• Section 506 (IPC): Criminal intimidation.
• Section 66E (IT Act): Punishment for capturing, publishing, or transmitting images of private areas, violating a person's privacy.
• Section 67 (IT Act): Punishment for transmitting or publishing obscene material in electronic form.

Court Proceedings & Status of Accused
Representing the petitioner, Advocate G. Arun urged the Court to grant regular bail, contending that the allegations require strict proof and that the investigation can proceed without the petitioner's continued custodial detention in this specific matter.

On the other hand, Special Public Prosecutor B.N. Jagadeesh, appearing for the State and the SIT, accepted the notice and sought time to place the formal evidentiary objections on record, pointing out the serious nature of the cyber-forensic elements involved.

Notably, the petitioner continues to remain behind bars due to prior legal liabilities. A Special Court in Bengaluru had previously convicted him in a separate case involving the sexual assault of a domestic worker, sentencing him to life imprisonment. Apart from the present video-call case and the conviction, the former MP is also facing trial in three other distinct cases registered by the SIT concerning separate allegations of sexual offenses.

Discription: The High Court of Karnataka has issued a formal notice to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) regarding a regular bail petition filed by former MP Prajwal Revanna. The case involves allegations of visual cyber-coercion, stalking, and criminal intimidation. The prosecution alleges that between 2019 and 2021, the accused coerced a woman into appearing nude during video calls, recorded the sessions without her consent, and used them for blackmail. A Single Judge Bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna directed the state agency to file its statement of objections, listing the matter for July 3. Revanna remains in judicial custody following a prior life imprisonment conviction in a separate sexual assault trial.