HD Revanna sexual harassment case: Bengaluru court discharges ex-minister, drops IPC 354A charge

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru court has discharged senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Holenarasipur MLA HD Revanna from a sexual harassment case registered in 2024, dropping proceedings under IPC Section 354A.

The order was passed by XLII Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate KN Shivakumar, a designated court that handles matters involving elected representatives.

The case originated from a complaint registered at Holenarasipur Town Police Station in Hassan district. While the prosecution had pressed for the matter to go to trial, the court declined to proceed, citing the delay in complaining as the key reason behind Revanna’s discharge.

Multiple reports said the trial court did not accept condonation of what it described as a four-year delay, effectively holding that the complaint could not be entertained at this stage on limitation grounds.

The discharge order also comes after proceedings in the Karnataka High Court, which had earlier sent the matter back to the trial court to specifically examine whether the delay could be condoned. Following that remand, the trial court has now ruled in Revanna’s favour on the delay issue and dropped the sexual harassment charge.

Revanna, a prominent face of JD(S) politics in the Old Mysuru region and a former Karnataka minister, has been in the spotlight since 2024 after multiple allegations involving members of the Revanna family triggered a major political storm in the state.