Prajwal Revanna begins new life as convict number 15528

Revanna, who had been lodged in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison for the past 14 months, has now been assigned convict number 15528 and shifted to the high-security barracks meant for life convicts

Bengaluru: Former MP Prajwal Revanna’s life has taken a drastic turn after being sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court in the KR Nagar rape case. The court’s order, a rare instance of a politician receiving the harshest possible punishment, officially began from Saturday, changing Prajwal’s status from undertrial to convicted prisoner.

Revanna, who had been lodged in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison for the past 14 months, has now been assigned convict number 15528 and shifted to the high-security barracks meant for life convicts. From Saturday, jail authorities have issued him white prison clothing and will now assign him mandatory work, as per the prison manual.

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According to sources, Revanna was restless through the night, but quietly began his new routine this morning. “He woke up early, completed his morning chores, and remained silent,” a jail official confirmed. Breakfast served to him included flattened rice upma. Revanna will now have to choose from compulsory 8-hour prison work options such as gardening, dairy, bakery, carpentry, or handicrafts.

As per Karnataka’s prison regulations, he will start earning Rs 524 per month as an unskilled worker. With time and good conduct, he may progress to semi-skilled and then skilled levels, each offering incremental wages.

In a scathing verdict, the special court imposed life imprisonment till death stating the nature of Prajwal’s repeated sexual assaults on a domestic worker warranted the maximum sentence under IPC 376(2)(n). The court observed that this was not an ordinary life sentence which ends after 14 years with remission, but one where Prajwal must remain in prison for the rest of his life.

He was also fined Rs 11.6 lakh, of which Rs 11.25 lakh must be paid to the survivor as compensation. Significantly, the court noted that Prajwal’s past 14 months in judicial custody would not be counted as part of his sentence. Since he was never officially arrested in the rape case but only produced on a body warrant, his life sentence starts afresh from the day of conviction.

A legal expert commented, “This punishment is more severe than ordinary life terms. He will not be eligible for remission. Only the President or Governor can grant clemency and that too is unlikely given the seriousness of the offence and wording of the court.”

The ruling has sent shockwaves through Karnataka’s political circles, especially the JD(S), the party to which Prajwal belongs and which is already reeling under allegations of shielding him. Critics say the delay in his arrest and legal proceedings points to systemic failure and political protection. For now, however, Prajwal Revanna’s luxurious political life stands replaced by prison routine, prison food, and a future behind bars, possibly for the rest of his life.