The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has informed the Karnataka High Court that the voice samples of former MP Prajwal Revanna matched those heard in the video footage of a woman in her 60s while she was allegedly raped by him. The report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) confirmed that the male voice in the footage, recovered from a mobile phone, was consistent with Revanna’s voice sample. This evidence was presented as the court heard Revanna’s petition for anticipatory bail in the case on September 26.

Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Ravivarma Kumar, representing the SIT, argued that the video footage had been verified as genuine, continuous, and not edited or morphed. He added that the woman’s facial features in the footage also matched those of the survivor, refuting claims of tampering. The prosecutor said that the video and audio evidence strongly contradicted Revanna’s defence, in which he claimed that the act had been consensual.

“In this case, for the first time, he has been caught on video. He was not as well guarded as he was in the other cases. His voice is recorded. While the accused took a defence that it was a consensual act, the audio projected the victim’s protest, rejection, shout, cry and agony,” the special public prosecutor said. 

Addressing the four-year delay in filing the complaint, the prosecution explained that the accused had threatened the woman, warning her that he would share the video of the sexual act with her family members if she reported the incident. The survivor, who feared for her unmarried daughter’s future, was initially reluctant to come forward. She filed the complaint only after the video clip became public, at which point her family supported her decision to seek justice.

Opposing the anticipatory bail plea, the SPP argued that Revanna posed a flight risk, having absconded for 34 days after the first crime was registered. Kumar also pointed out the power imbalance between Revanna and the survivor, noting that she was significantly older than the accused and had been dominated and controlled by him. He also referenced earlier incidents in which the victim had been abducted, including one instance before the Lok Sabha elections and another immediately afterward.

The court, presided over by Justice M Nagaprasanna, reserved its verdict on Revanna’s anticipatory bail plea after hearing arguments from both sides. The petition follows the SIT’s submission of a chargesheet in the case of rape registered at KR Nagar police station.

The court had last week reserved its order in three more petitions, one seeking bail and two seeking anticipatory bail.

So far, five women have come forward with accusations against Prajwal Revanna. The first to file complaints were Girija (name changed) and her daughter Sunitha (name changed). Prajwal is accused of raping Girija and coercing Sunitha to strip during a video call.

The next complaint, which also involved rape, was lodged by a former public official and JD(S) party worker, who alleged that Prajwal sexually assaulted her at his official residence in Hassan town.

The fourth was a 47-year-old woman who had worked at the family's farmhouse six years ago and made similar accusations.

Another woman later reported that Prajwal had molested her when she sought his assistance with a personal matter. A chargesheet is yet to be filed in this case.