A Bengaluru trial court on Friday rejected a second bail application filed by suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna in one of the rape cases registered against him.

The plea was dismissed by Special Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, marking another legal setback for Revanna, who had earlier failed to secure bail in his first attempt.

Following the initial denial, Revanna had approached the Karnataka High Court, citing delays in the trial as a change in circumstances. However, on July 9, Justice SR Krishna Kumar directed him to first move the trial court and granted him the liberty to return to the High Court, depending on the outcome.

Acting on this direction, Revanna once again approached the trial court, which has now rejected his renewed bail application.

Revanna stands accused in four separate cases registered last year, after over 2,900 explicit videos allegedly showing him sexually assaulting several women were circulated online, including on social media platforms.

The first complaint was filed in April 2024 by a former domestic worker at the Revanna family’s farmhouse. She alleged that Revanna repeatedly raped her starting in 2021 and threatened to release recorded footage of the assaults if she spoke out.

The trial court has already framed charges against Revanna under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape, voyeurism, criminal intimidation, and the unlawful circulation of private images.

The court had also reserved its verdict in the trial on July 18, with the judgment expected to be delivered on July 30.