With the arrest of Suraj Revanna for “sexually abusing” a man, the entire Revanna family is now in legal trouble

Janata Dal (Secular) MLC Suraj Revanna leaves a hospital in Hassan on Sunday after a medical check-up. | Image credit: ANI

With the arrest of JD(S) MLC Suraj Revanna for allegedly sexually abusing a 27-year-old man who claimed to be a JD(S) worker, the entire family of former minister HD Revanna, who lives in Hassan, seems to be embroiled in legal trouble.

Prajwal Revanna, former MP from Hassan who lost the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is currently in police custody on triple counts of rape. He is accused of sexually assaulting several women, including domestic helps and party workers, among other things. Several explicit clips purporting to show him were leaked ahead of the elections. He is currently in the custody of the Special Investigation Team formed exclusively to investigate the allegations against him.

Mr. Revanna was arrested for allegedly abducting a sexual abuse victim to prevent her from testifying against Mr. Prajwal Revanna. He is out on bail. His wife Bhavani Revanna recently obtained interim bail in the same case in the Karnataka High Court.

The only person who had kept a safe distance from Mr Prajwal Revanna’s cases, his elder brother Dr Suraj Revanna, has now been arrested on charges of sexually abusing a man.

Dr. Suraj Revanna started his political career by campaigning for his father during the 2013 general elections when he was still a medical student. The grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and son of a former minister, he showed interest in actively entering politics after completing his postgraduate studies in general surgery in 2015.

Dr. Suraj Revanna, under the guidance of his parents, focused on strengthening the party organization in Channarayapatna Taluk. While his younger brother contested and won the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, Dr. Suraj Revanna waited for another two years to become MLC in 2021.

However, by this time, he was a known face in the villages of Holenarasipur and Channarayapatna. He actively participated in the election campaign in the 2018 general election and the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

During these election campaigns, he and his associates attracted police attention after arguments and clashes with workers of other parties. His affidavit for the 2021 MLC elections reveals that his name was dropped by the Hassan district police in two cases, although they filed a B report in another case, which many see as an indication of the family’s political influence.

Dr. Suraj Revanna got married in 2018. However, in his 2021 election declaration, he did not mention his marriage, suggesting that it did not last long. Later, a suit was filed in the Supreme Court alleging that he had concealed the fact of his marriage in his declaration.

His candidacy for the Legislative Council in 2021 caused divisions within the party as many senior politicians, including MPs, opposed it. However, he won and represented Hassan in the Legislative Council.

Unlike his father, Dr. Suraj Revanna was rarely seen meeting with officials in Hassan on development issues.