The Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking to defer the rape trial against suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna.

The request was filed by his mother, Bhavani Revanna, who sought time for her son to appoint a new legal representative.

Justice Vishwajith Shetty, while rejecting the plea, observed that any order asking the trial court to delay proceedings could undermine its authority. “If orders are passed asking the trial court to adjourn it, it will demoralise (the trial court),” the judge remarked during the hearing, making it clear that he would not entertain the petition. “I will pass orders, I will not entertain,” he added.

Prajwal Revanna is the primary accused in four criminal cases linked to the online circulation of over 2,900 video clips that allegedly depict sexual assaults on several women. On April 3, a Bengaluru trial court framed multiple charges against him, including rape, voyeurism, criminal intimidation, and the unauthorised circulation of private images.

Bhavani Revanna herself is also facing serious allegations, including kidnapping and intimidating a woman who was allegedly repeatedly assaulted by Prajwal Revanna.

The plea for adjournment was prompted by the recent withdrawal of Revanna's former counsel, advocate Arun G, who relinquished his vakalatnama on April 23, shortly after the trial transfer request was rejected. Following this, the trial court reportedly asked Revanna on April 28 whether he would like to be represented by a lawyer from the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA). Revanna responded that his family was in the process of appointing a new lawyer.

However, on April 29, the trial court appointed Chief Legal Defence Counsel Jayashree RS as amicus curiae to represent Revanna. His mother’s petition claimed that this appointment was made without his consent and that Revanna was given less than 24 hours to arrange alternate legal representation. The case was subsequently listed for day-to-day hearings beginning May 2.

In her plea, Bhavani Revanna argued that the amicus curiae had only two days to prepare for a complex trial involving multiple witnesses and voluminous evidence. She also raised concerns over procedural irregularities in the trial, alleging that her son’s former lawyer had informed him during a jail visit that the courtroom submissions were not being accurately recorded.

According to the petition, despite several requests, neither Prajwal Revanna nor his family were provided certified copies of the courtroom proceedings. Bhavani claimed that her requests were mocked by the trial court, which continued the proceedings without addressing their concerns.

As part of her petition, she also sought the High Court's direction to the trial court to release the certified copies of court proceedings.

However, the High Court declined to intervene in the matter.

The plea was filed through Advocate Mayur D Bhanu of Legal Care Inc. Senior Advocate Vikram Huilgol represented Bhavani Revanna, while Special Public Prosecutor Ravivarma Kumar appeared for the Special Investigation Team (SIT) handling the case.