Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has registered a fresh case against ex-MP Prajwal Revanna for allegedy recording an explicit clip of a woman, while she was on a video call with him, without her knowledge. The SIT was granted four days police custody of Prajwal by the Special Court of Magistrate for criminal cases against former and present MPs and MLAs on Tuesday.
Preetham Gowda, former Hassan BJP MLA, has also been named as an accused in the case, along with his two associates, Sharath and Kiran, for allegedly leaking the video.
While Preetham had faced political allegations over the same and several of his associates searched by the SIT, this is the first time he has been named as an accused in connection with the explicit video leak.
The accused have been booked under Sections 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 354C (Voyeurism) and various sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
When she sought help
Sources said that the fresh FIR was registered on Tuesday based on a complaint by a woman to the SIT. The woman alleged that she had met Prajwal in Hassan, seeking his help in securing a seat for her daughter at a private school.
She alleged the MP took her number, called her repeatedly, and forced her to undress on a video call. She further alleged that Prajwal had recorded the video without her knowledge, which was leaked along with other explicit content on April 22, when several pen drives with the explicit content were distributed in Hassan, days ahead of the April 26 polls.
Probing a case registered over the leak of the videos, based on a complaint by an associate of Prajwal, the SIT arrested Likhith Gowda and Chetan, when they allegedly tried to destroy electronic devices used to copy and leak the videos.
The SIT had searched premises linked to several others, including Sharath and Kiran, now named in the FIR as accused. All the four are known associates of Preetham.
