“Gender violence is an entrenched crisis in Indian society—a plague only worse when elected defenders of justice turn into perpetrators themselves. The Prajwal Revanna case is one that highlights this dismal reality. A scion of one of India’s most influential political dynasties, Revanna, son of H.D. Revanna and grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, has been accused of sexually assaulting nearly 3,000 women, the biggest reported case of systematic abuse in the country’s history.”.
The timing of the scandal during election seasons has taken it to the incendiary arena of political militancy. Opposition parties, rather than uniting for justice, have politicized the tragedy to pursue partisan ends, reducing a human rights catastrophe to a political instrument for swaying public opinion.
Here, we lay out the timeline of atrocities, the institutions of power that shielded these atrocities, and the legal battles that persist to this day as survivors fight for justice in a beleaguered system of its own contradictions.
A Country Shaken by Historic Indictments
In April 2024, India was rocked by its largest sex scandal to date. Prajwal Revanna, an incumbent MP from Karnataka’s Hassan constituency and grandson of a former PM, fled to Germany after nearly 3,000 lewd videos of himself sexually abusing women went viral on social media. The scandal, which erupted only days before Karnataka’s election, exposed institutional political corruption, victim shaming, and a glaring failure to safeguard women. This article traces the timeline of the scandal.
The Scandal Comes Out : Pen Drives, Predation, and Politics
The Viral Pen Drives : A Calculated Leak
On April 20th, 2024, anonymous individuals flooded Hassan’s markets, buses, and homes with pen drives containing horrific videos. The videos showed Prajwal Revanna raping and sexually assaulting women—among them a 65-year-old—psychopathically laughing. Victim faces were shown, exposing maids, government officials, and party workers.
- 2,976 were recorded by Prajwal or his colleagues themselves.
- The victims cried for mercy but their pleas were not heeded.
- The leak’s timing — 5 days before Karnataka’s elections
Escape to Germany and Political Complicity
Prajwal fled to Germany on April 27 on a diplomatic passport, hours short of the polling deadline. His departure was scheduled around an FIR, lodged by a 47-year-old maid against him and his father S.D. Revanna, accusing them of serial harassment. There was earlier restraint on the videos by BJP leader Devaraje Gowda, but Prajwal Revanna’s JDS-BJP alliance allowed him to fight the elections.
Political Consequence : Political Parties Prioritize Power Over Justice
A 2023 ADR report showed 134 sitting MPs/MLAs had criminal cases against women. But major parties like BJP and JDS gave a ticket to Prajwal Revanna. Women of Karnataka were requested to vote for a man whose atrocities were no secret.
- JDS, previously aligned with Congress, joined BJP in 2023 on a seat-sharing basis.
- BJP had given 3 seats to JDS, including Hassan to Prajwal Revanna, despite internal warnings about the videos.
The Driver’s Revenge : How a Dispute Over Land Contributed to the Leak
The “Driver’s Revenge” is an engrossing subplot of the Prajwal Revanna scandal based on personal betrayal and systemic exploitation. For more than 15 years, Karthik, a loyal driver for Prajwal’s family, had access to their deepest secrets, such as Prajwal renavva’s offenses. His allegiance was manipulated when the family fraudulently registered 16 acres of land in his name to conceal assets
—a popular practice in India’s benami (proxy-owned) real estate schemes. When the family asked him to relinquish the land in 2022, Karthik did not oblige, and this led to a bitter dispute. Threats grew, and by March 2023, Karthik had resigned from work, fearing for his life. But he did not go without a fight. Throughout his time there, he had secretly replicated thousands of incriminating videos from Prajwal’s equipment, saving them as insurance. In despair for justice and protection, he approached Devaraje Gowda, a BJP leader and longtime political foe of Prajwal, hoping political clout would restore his land and reveal the crimes.
Gowda, recognizing a chance to weaken the BJP’s coalition with Prajwal’s party JDS, accepted the pen drive, assuring legal recourse. Instead, the Revanna family obtained a court gag order in June 2023, muzzling media and protecting Prajwal Revanna. Cornered and frustrated, Karthik’s evidence was a time bomb ticking away. Months later, days before Karnataka’s 2024 polls, pen drives with the videos swamped public spaces—markets, buses, homes—fanning national outrage. Karthik denies releasing them but the timing smells of political sabotage.
BJP accused Congress of staging the leak to influence voters, and Congress accused BJP of covering up for Prajwal Revanna. In the mudslinging, victims suffered further trauma as their identities went around in the public domain. Karthik’s vendetta, fueled by personal hurt, inadvertently revealed not only a predator but the putridity within India’s political system—where power, land, and loyalty meet, and justice is dependent on who is holding the pen drive.
SIT Probe : A Glimmer of Hope?
Karnataka formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by ADGP Bijay Kumar Singh. Three teams were tasked to:
- Recording victim testimonies.
- Forensic analysis of videos.
- Surveillance of Prajwal’s assets and associates.
Plight of Victims : Betrayal & Public Humiliation
Women Commissioner Nagalakshmi Choudhary said, “Your blood will boil watching these videos.” The identities of the victims were revealed in the leak, traumatizing them further.
Conclusion :
A Call for Systemic Change
The Prajwal Revanna scandal is not just a political scandal – it is a wake-up call for India to prioritize women’s safety over elections. Prajwal is still in power and awaiting trial, so justice still demands our immediate attention. Voters, the media, bringing this story to light will ensure that the voices of the victims are not silenced.
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