Introduction:
There’s a peculiar silence that settles over a prison library. Perhaps it’s introspection, or maybe just resignation the latter seems fitting for Prajwal Revanna, once a Janata Dal (Secular) MP and direct descendant of a former prime minister, now reduced to sorting dog-eared novels in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. The transformation is nothing short of Shakespearean: one day, the thrum of Parliament; the next, prison-issue pajamas and a barcode number 15528 sewn onto his chest. From Parliament to prison, Prajwal Revanna has become, at least for now, just another name in the library ledger.
Assignment Details: From Parliament to Prison, a Crash Course in Humility
Days after his conviction on multiple counts of rape, Prajwal Revanna swapped politics for the crisp, methodical stacking of book records. Five days ago, prison officials handed him his duties a far cry from the committee rooms and marble halls he’d grown used to. As per standard protocol, Revanna was offered his pick of “unskilled labor”: bakery, carpentry, even animal husbandry. In the end, the library desk called to him, or perhaps it was simply the least degrading option available.
And while ‘library clerk’ might sound genteel, the work is anything but glamorous. He spends his days cataloguing torn-up thrillers, taking book requests from fellow inmates, and maintaining quiet order in a place that rarely welcomes it. For his efforts, Revanna receives ₹520 a day, a sum that, according to jail officials, will go up with time served and good behavior. Gone are the tailored suits his new uniform is standard jail-issue. Gone too is solitude: upon sentencing, he was transferred from the insulated confines of a high-security cell to the general population. The only thing in abundance, it seems, is ignominy.
From Parliament to Prison: The Rape Conviction That Changed Everything
What exactly brought Prajwal Revanna from Parliament to prison? The story is as sordid as they come. In a case that held the media in thrall, Revanna stood accused and was ultimately convicted of raping a domestic worker twice at the family’s own farmhouse. An SIT helmed by B.K. Singh left no stone unturned; its 1,600-page-plus chargesheet rattled with the accounts of 113 witnesses. Still, it was digital evidence that proved decisive: explicit videos, made by Revanna himself and leaked during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, sealed his fate when the Forensic Science Laboratory matched him beyond doubt to the videos.
The special court overseeing criminal charges against MPs and MLAs didn’t blink. Life imprisonment, it ruled a sentence that shook even those numbed by India’s frequent scandals. It’s not over for Revanna, either. With three other cases two more for rape, one for harassment still pending, his calendar looks grimly full for years to come.
Public Reckoning: From Parliament to Prison and the National Mood
If anyone hoped the news of Revanna’s new “job” behind bars would fade quietly, they misjudged the moment. There’s a rawness in the national mood one that grows sharper every time a privileged lawmaker stands revealed as a criminal. The image of Prajwal Revanna, twice-convicted rapist, now laboring quietly within prison walls, is a reminder (however uncomfortable) that no amount of pedigree or parliamentary immunity can bury certain crimes.
Discourse on social media roils with anger. Critics have loudly demanded that those in power face not just swift conviction, but visible, public consequence. The appointment of a former MP to a prison library mundane as it sounds is in fact a powerful symbol, feeding a growing hunger for genuine accountability, not just in the courts but across all levels of political life.
Conclusion
For Revanna, the klieg lights are gone. From Parliament to prison, and from privilege to paperwork, his is a cautionary tale that refuses to go quietly. The real story, though, is whether this reckoning will set a new standard, or be just another fleeting news cycle swallowed up by the next scandal to break.
Author Information:
By Karthikeyan Ganesan, a law student from KKC College of Law, reporting on law and technology for Nyayasphere. Karthikeyan always likes to stay updated with current trends and important information regarding the law and cases across the country.