JDS MP Prajwal Revanna is the latest politician to be embroiled in sex scandal. In the past as well, politicians were caught in sex scandals that made headlines and broke careers. Here is a list of Indian politicians who were involved in popular sex scandals.
Suresh Ram
Although Suresh Ram is not a well-known figure in Indian politics, the brunt of this sex scandal fell on his father, Babu Jagjivan Ram. Considered by many as a potential prime minister candidate, he was a powerful Dalit leader who had even served as deputy prime minister in the late 1970s.
But in 1978, a magazine called Surya—which was then edited by Maneka Gandhi—published a two-page spread of pictures showing his son Suresh Ram in a suggestive pose with a young woman, severely hurting his political career. Jagjivan Ram never bounced back from the setback; instead of being remembered for his political views, people associate him more with the still-accessible images of his son on the internet.
Raghavji
In July 2013, the former member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was taken into custody and charged with a crime that falls under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) under Sections 377, 506, and 34. The charge was of sodomizing the house helper.
Abhishek Manu Sanghivi
Congressman Abhishek Manu Singhvi was humiliated by a video that appeared to show him in a sexually suggestive pose with a female advocate inside the Supreme Court's lawyers' chambers. The video, recorded by his driver in an apparent method to blackmail him, had come out in the form of a CD and has since been banned from publication in any form by the Delhi High Court.
Mahipal Maderna
In 2011, Bhanwari Devi, a government worker in Rajasthan, went missing. Allegations flew that Mahipal Maderna, a minister, was involved. A leaked video showed a connection, and Maderna admitted to an affair but denied kidnapping. The CBI later linked him and another politician to a conspiracy to eliminate Devi, though her body was never found. The case exposed corruption and a powerful minister's downfall.
ND Tiwari
The Andhra Pradesh governor was purportedly seen in bed with three women in a 2009 clip that was shown on a Telegu channel. The last straw came in 2012, when DNA testing revealed Tiwari to be the biological father of a young person living in Delhi. Tiwari had denied being the father of a child for years.
Dhruv Narayan Singh
The activist Shehla Masood was killed in 2011. An intricate web of relationships was found through investigations. Zahida, who was suspected of being involved in the murder, had a romantic relationship with Dhruv Narayan Singh, a politician. They came to light with intimate evidence, which gave rise to rumors. Though the story was sensationalized to include personal entanglements, the murder was the main focus of the case, not a sex scandal.
