Prajwal Revanna to be shifted from Bengaluru prison to Hindalga Jail in Belagavi

Former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted in a rape case involving repeated sexual assault, voyeurism and destruction of evidence, will be shifted from Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison to Hindalga Jail in Belagavi.The transfer order was issued by Prisons Department Director General of Police Alok Kumar following a request from Bengaluru Police to move nine prisoners to different jails.According to sources, the process to transfer Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, began on Friday.Six prisoners, including the former Janata Dal (Secular) MP, are being shifted to different prisons. Preparations are reportedly underway at Hindalga Jail to receive him, and prison officials are expected to take him there later on Friday evening or night. The transfer comes after prison authorities recovered a mobile phone, SIM card, charger, pen drive and other items from a cell occupied by Revanna and another prisoner during a search at Bengaluru Central Prison on August 11.The Central Crime Branch (CCB) conducted the raid following the circulation of a video purportedly showing Revanna speaking to someone over a phone from inside the prison. A case was subsequently registered at Parappana Agrahara Police Station over the alleged possession and use of prohibited items inside the jail.Revanna and undertrial prisoner Prathap Rai were later taken into police custody for questioning and were returned to prison on September 10 following a court order.Police investigations into the alleged smuggling of the mobile phone and SIM card have also led to the arrest of five people, including prison personnel, according to police.Investigators suspect that a prison warder facilitated the entry of the phone, while the SIM card was allegedly brought in through an undertrial prisoner. The probe is continuing to establish the roles of those involved and determine how prohibited devices reached the inmates.The recovery has also triggered scrutiny of prison security arrangements, with reports indicating that investigators are examining digital material found on the seized device. The phone and other electronic items are being investigated as part of the case.Revanna was convicted by a special court in Bengaluru in August 2025 and sentenced to life imprisonment.He was arrested in May 2024 in connection with sexual assault cases and has denied the allegations, claiming that the videos linked to the controversy were morphed. His appeal against the conviction remains pending.His transfer to Hindalga Jail is expected to take place amid the ongoing investigation into the alleged prison-rule violations. Further action will depend on the findings of the probe and the decisions of the authorities concerned.- Ends