Former Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has made a fervent appeal to his nephew and Lok Sabha member Prajwal Revanna, who is accused in multiple sexual abuse cases, to return to the country and face the law.

The paternal uncle of Prajwal, Kumaraswamy told reporters on Monday that the family had been going through trauma ever since the alleged scandal broke out.

He said Prajwal should return and face the law “since the family’s dignity and reputation are at stake”.

Prajwal had fled the country to Germany on April 27, a day after the first leg of elections in the state in which he contested seeking a second term from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency.

JDS leader Kumaraswamy said Prajwal should return to the country if he had any respect for his grandfather and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.

“I appeal to Prajwal to return if he has any respect for his grandfather H.D. Deve Gowda and the workers of our party,” Kumaraswamy said in the first such public appeal.

Prajwal’s father and Holenarasipura MLA H.D. Revanna was arrested recently on charges of kidnapping a former domestic help who was allegedly sexually abused by his son.

Deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar and home minister G. Parameshwara rubbished Kumaraswamy’s allegations that phones of his family members were being tapped.

“The Congress government is not foolish to do such things. Are they terrorists (that their phones would be tapped)?” Shivakumar said on Tuesday.

“I urge Kumaraswamy to produce the list of people whose phones were tapped,” Parameshwara said.

The special investigation team probing the case and a pen drive containing 2,976 files, including video clips and images of alleged sexual abuse involving Prajwal,
has no information on his whereabouts.