Karnataka challenges HD Revanna's discharge in sexual harassment case before Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday, July 13 issued notice on an appeal filed by the Karnataka government challenging the discharge of Janata Dal (Secular) MLA HD Revanna in a sexual harassment case filed by a former domestic worker.A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran sought a response from Revanna while hearing the State's appeal against a Bengaluru trial court order that discharged him from the case.During the hearing, the Bench questioned the manner in which the charges against Revanna had been dealt with by the courts below."How can the High Court change the charges? The court took cognisance. Now you have been discharged from Section 354 (outraging a woman's modesty) also?" the Bench remarked.Revanna was discharged by a Bengaluru trial court in December 2025 after it held that there was a four-year delay in filing the complaint and declined to condone the delay.The trial court's order followed a November 2025 judgment of the Karnataka High Court, which granted Revanna partial relief on his petition seeking to quash the criminal proceedings. While the High Court held that the allegations, if accepted, could constitute the offence of sexual harassment under Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), it found that they did not make out the graver offence under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty).The High Court therefore quashed the trial court's decision to take cognisance of the Section 354 IPC charge, which had been added by the police at the stage of filing the chargesheet, and remanded the matter to the trial court to determine whether the prosecution for the remaining offences was barred by limitation.The trial court was asked to consider whether the delay in filing the complaint could be condoned under Section 473 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allows courts to extend the limitation period if the delay is satisfactorily explained. However, the court held that the case was not fit for condonation and discharged Revanna.The Karnataka government has now challenged that order before the Supreme Court.On April 28, a 47-year-old woman filed a complaint against Prajwal Revanna and his father Holenarsipura MLA HD Revanna accusing them of sexually harassing her and her daughter who was a domestic worker in their house. According to the complaint, both Revanna and Prajwal sexually harassed the women under various pretexts. Prajwal allegedly used to video call the woman’s daughter when she was at home and harass her using foul language. The FIR against Revanna invoked Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC. During the investigation, police also added the offence under Section 354 IPC in the chargesheet.Prajwal meanwhile was charged for rape. Revanna subsequently approached the Karnataka High Court, arguing that the complaint had been filed beyond the three-year limitation period applicable to the offences cited and was therefore legally unsustainable.Apart from the sexual harassment case, Revanna was also booked in a separate kidnapping case linked to the investigation. He has been granted bail in both cases.TNM has closely followed the allegations against HD Revanna and Prajwal Revanna from the very beginning, bringing you verified updates, court proceedings, and accountability reporting. If you value in-depth, independent journalism that holds the powerful to account, support The News Minute by becoming a subscriber. Your support keeps our reporting free from corporate and political influence.