Three Karnataka Special Investigation Team officers who investigated the sexual assault cases against former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna have received the Union Home Ministry Medal for Excellence in Investigation, according to a communication from the Chief Minister’s Office reported on Saturday night.
The awardees are Inspector Shobha, Assistant Sub-Inspector Rathnamma and head constable CHC Balakrishna. They were part of the SIT-CID team led by senior IPS officer BK Singh, which investigated the cases and secured evidence that led to Revanna’s conviction.
Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, was convicted by the Special Court for People’s Representatives in August 2025 in a case involving the rape of a house-help at a farmhouse in Holenarasipura in Hassan district. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh. It also directed that Rs 7 lakh be paid as compensation to the survivor.
The conviction followed an investigation by the Karnataka SIT, a specialised police team constituted to examine the allegations against the former MP. The recognition for the three officers places their work within the Union Home Ministry’s annual framework for rewarding professional and effective criminal investigation.
The Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak, or Union Home Ministry Medal for Excellence in Investigation, is awarded to police and forensic personnel for outstanding investigative work and contributions to securing justice. The award is intended to recognise investigative capability rather than the public profile of a case.
The Revanna investigation had drawn national attention because it involved a former elected representative and multiple cases. Revanna continues to face three other rape cases, which are pending trial, according to the report. The medal announced for the SIT personnel relates to their work in the case that resulted in his conviction; it does not determine the outcome of the pending proceedings.
A total of seven personnel from Karnataka have been selected for the 2026 medal. The list includes six police officials and one member of the Forensic Science Laboratory. Besides the three SIT officers, the awardees are Inspectors Rukumuddin Bavuddin Gadekar of Malamaruti police station in Belagavi, Manjunath of Devadurga in Raichur, Sreenivas Rao, and Chandrashekhar, deputy director at the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory in Mysuru.
The recognition highlights the institutional chain involved in high-profile criminal investigations: field officers, supervising investigators, forensic personnel and prosecutors must work together to present evidence before a court. In this case, the investigation’s outcome was followed by a conviction, while the remaining cases will proceed separately through the trial process.
The medal selections are the latest official recognition for the Karnataka personnel involved. The state’s awardees will be honoured under the 2026 Union Home Ministry medal programme, with the three SIT officers recognised specifically for their role in the investigation against Revanna.
