Bengaluru: Former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna got Rs 1.2 lakh from his mother to buy “groceries and cattle feed”. This is one of Prajwal’s many explanations to charges of suppression of assets, income and electoral malpractice that failed to impress the Karnataka High Court, which declared his election as Hassan MP null and void last Friday.
Prajwal was the sole Janata Dal (Secular) MP in Lok Sabha from Karnataka.
He also claimed that his father, H. D. Revanna, lent him over Rs 1.26 crore. But the latter, in another set of documents before the registrar of Lokayukta, claimed that he lent Prajwal just over Rs 47 lakh.
Prajwal also showed ownership of about 21 land holdings valued at Rs 6.35 crore — though the market value of these was allegedly Rs 16.28 crore. The HC said the MP gave “false information and false declaration of the value of immovable properties in his affidavit”.
He showed a bank balance of Rs 5.78 lakh in Karnataka Bank while the actual balance was around Rs 50 lakh — an amount he claimed he wasn’t aware was transferred by Rajya Sabha MP Kupendra Reddy. Such discrepancies in his 2019 election affidavit also led the court to disqualify him as MP. ThePrint has seen the 1 September order.
The HC has also asked for notices to be served to H.D. Revanna and Prajwal’s brother Suraj Revanna, for election malpractices and misuse of office to help him win in 2019.
Prajwal moved the Karnataka High Court Tuesday, seeking a stay on the 1 September order on his Hassan election.
A senior counsel directly aware of the developments told ThePrint that a stay order is likely but if the Supreme Court (SC) upholds the HC order, then Prajwal can be disqualified from contesting elections for six years.
The case
In all, the high court heard three cases related to the matter and the order mentions all of them.
One case was filed by A. Manju, who unsuccessfully contested against Prajwal as a BJP candidate in Hassan in 2019. He joined the JD(S) in March this year, just ahead of the assembly elections, and went on to become a legislator from Arkalgud in Hassan district.
“None of what I have said are claims but documentary evidence,” Manju told ThePrint on the phone.
One of the allegations against Prajwal was that an election flying squad intercepted a vehicle that he was using, through his brother Suraj, to transport Rs 1.2 lakh that, allegedly, was to be distributed among voters.
At the time, Prajwal had claimed that the money was given by his mother, Bhavani Revanna, to buy “groceries and cattle feed”. The HC said, “It should be presumed that the amount was sent by the respondent for distributing to the voters…the question of carrying Rs 1.2 lakh by the respondent family for the purpose of purchasing the groceries cannot be acceptable.”
A voter, Devarajegowda, too, filed a case against both Prajwal and Manju. This petition included allegations of tax evasion and corruption against both the politicians. Prajwal too filed a recrimination petition against Manju, accusing the former minister of suppressing cases and actual value of assets.
Prajwal, who is also the nephew of two-time Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, had claimed in his 2019 election affidavit to have assets in excess of Rs 9.78 crore and liabilities of around Rs 3.72 crore.
About the discrepancy in his bank account balance, the HC said, “The petitioner has proved that the respondent made a false declaration in respect of his balance in the account and suppressed the loan of Rs 50 L obtained from Kuppendra Reddy.”
The court also upheld that funds meant for irrigation were diverted in order to influence voters. Even though it was argued that H.D. Revanna, then district in-charge minister of Hassan, has no official role in the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited, it could not be denied that the then chief minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy, was his brother, the court observed.
The HC said that the “funds were diverted and spent other than the irrigation projects, thereby, the petitioner is successful in proving that the respondent influenced the voters by making development works by way of diverting the funds which amounts to corrupt practice.”
The court also found that Prajwal suppressed actual election expenditure. It said it was proved that while the Election Commission capped expenditure at Rs 70 lakh, Prajwal spent “more than crores of rupees” but declared only Rs 63 lakh.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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