Prajwal had diplomatic passport, no clearance issued by us: Centre
Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna—who is at the center of a sexual abuse case—traveled to Germany on a diplomatic passport, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. The ministry added that "no political clearance" was sought from or issued by the MEA regarding his travel to the country. This comes a day after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Centre to revoke Prajwal's diplomatic passport and facilitate his return through diplomatic channels.
No visa required for Revanna's diplomatic passport travel
Addressing a press briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the ministry has not issued any visa for the MP for any other country. "No visa is required for diplomatic passport holders to travel to Germany. The Ministry has also not issued any visa note for any other country for the said MP...Yes, he traveled on a diplomatic passport," he said. The MEA also added that the revocation of Prajwal's diplomatic passport can only occur with a court order.
Lookout notice issued against Prajwal
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Karnataka government on Thursday issued a lookout circular against the grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda. Prajwal—the "absconding" MP from Hassan, Karnataka—has been accused of sexual abuse by multiple women. According to reports, Prajwal is likely to face detention upon reaching any immigration point in India, whether it be airports, seaports, or border checkposts.
Prajwal's departure from India amidst allegations
Prajwal reportedly left India on April 27, a day before the SIT was set up under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe into sexual harassment allegations against Prajwal. The MP might have "fled" for Germany to evade arrest and is using his Diplomatic Pass for overseas travel, reports said. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Prajwal publicly addressed the "scandal" surrounding videos of him assaulting multiple women for the first time. In a post on X, he declared, "Truth will prevail soon."
Prajwal sought 7 days to appear before SIT
He also stated that he had asked his legal counsel to communicate with the CID and sought seven days to appear before the SIT, as he is not in Bengaluru. The SIT had issued a notice to him and his father—HD Revanna—to appear for questioning within 24 hours. Notably, the Karnataka government formed the SIT on Sunday to investigate the alleged sex scandal following a letter from Dr. Nagalakshmi Chowdhary, chairperson of the women's commission to CM Siddaramaiah.
Case against Prajwal, Revanna
To recall, Prajwal and his father Revanna are facing allegations of sexual harassment and stalking. The charges were filed at the Holenarasipur police station, Karnataka by their cook. The complainant alleges that she was sexually harassed by Revanna four months into her employment. She also accused Prajwal of making inappropriate video calls to her daughter.
Row over Prajwal's 'obscene' videos
This case comes amid a separate row over purported videos of Prajwal which show him involved in non-consensual sexual acts with women. These 2,976 videos, believed to have been filmed in either Hassan or Holenarasipura in the southern state, have been widely circulated on social media. They came to light on April 25, just one day prior to polling in the Hassan constituency—from where Prajwal is seeking re-election as a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.
