Bengaluru:

In more trouble for Karnataka MLA HD Revanna, he has been sent to judicial custody till May 14 after the Special Investigation Team’s custody in the case of allegedly kidnapping a woman ended on Wednesday.

The Janata Dal (Secular) leader is also, along with his son and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, an accused in the sex scandal that has rocked Karnataka and the nation and prompted an attack on his party as well as its ally, the BJP, from the Congress and other parties. 

The 66-year-old former minister, who is the son of former prime minister Deve Gowda, was arrested on Saturday by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) – set up to investigate the sex scandal – for kidnapping a woman who used to work as a help at his house last month. The case of kidnapping was filed by the woman’s son, who has also alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Prajwal Revanna. HD Revanna’s aide, Sathish Babanna, was also arrested along with him.

After his custody with the SIT ended, Mr Revanna was produced before the Special Court for Elected Representatives in Bengaluru, which remanded him in judicial custody till May 14.

The sex scandal had come to the fore a day after the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency – where Prajwal Revanna is a candidate – went to the polls on April 26. Videos began doing the rounds showing multiple women being sexually assaulted. Prajwal Revanna can also allegedly be seen sexually abusing women in some of the videos. 

The 33-year-old leader, who left for Germany the day the videos emerged, was later suspended by the JDS, which is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in an alliance with the BJP. A blue corner notice, which asks Interpol member states to help locate a person, has been issued against the MP.

Reacting to the attacks on the BJP-JDS alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said there should be zero tolerance for someone like Prajwal Revanna and alleged that the Congress government had allowed the JDS MP to go out of the country.