Udupi: Bhaskar Shetty murder accused granted bail to conduct father's funeral rites
Udupi: The Udupi sessions court has given 15 days' conditional bail to Nandalike Niranjan Bhat, 30, the accused in the murder of businessman Bhaskar Shetty. Bhat had been in prison for four years, unable to get bail.
His father Srinivas Bhat, who had been accused of destroying evidence of the case, died of ill-health on June 22. Since Niranjan Bhat is the only son of Srinivas Bhat, he had requested for conditional bail to conduct the last rites of his father.
Justice C M Joshi, Udupi district and sessions judge, has granted Bhat bail. While the District Magistrate's court granted bail on June 24. The court has ordered that Bhat submit a bond of Rs 5 lakh for the conditional bail, appear in court, and submit himself to judicial custody on July 7.
Bhat, who is currently in the Parappana Agrahara Jail, Bengaluru, is likely to be released on conditional bail on June 25, said sources.
Bhat has been accused of murdering Bhaskar Shetty along with his wife and son at his house in Indrali on July 28, 2016, before burning the bodies. The police arrested him on August 8, 2016. Bhat had tried to kill himself by swallowing his diamond ring and earrings.
Srinivas Bhat and Raghavendra had been arrested on August 11, 2016, for the destruction of evidence of the case. The Udupi District and Sessions Court had granted them bail on October 1, 2016.
Srinivas Bhat, who had been suffering from ill-health for some years, failed to present himself for the hearings. The court had rejected Niranjan Bhat's plea for a month's bail to take care of his father on August 9, 2019, but has granted him conditional bail after four years.
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I asked Priyanka Gandhi to watch 'Emergency', she said 'OK, maybe': Kangana Ranaut
Mumbai, Jan 8: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra complimented Kangana Ranaut on her work and her hair when they crossed paths in Parliament and responded with an “okay, maybe” when the actor and BJP MP asked the Congress leader to watch her new film “Emergency”.
The much in the news film sees Ranaut playing the late Indira Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi’s grandmother. Directed and produced by Ranaut, it documents the 21 months of Emergency imposed in 1975 by then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
“I met Mrs Priyanka Gandhi in Parliament and she complimented me on my work and my hair. So I was like, ‘You know, I made this film Emergency and maybe you should see it’. And she was like, ‘Okay, maybe’. And I think if they have a little bit of acceptance for what has been, they will appreciate the film,” Ranaut told PTI in a video interview about her brief interaction with the Wayanad MP.
The film will release on January 17 after months of controversy over its censor certificate and allegations that it misrepresents the Sikh community.
Ranaut, the BJP’s MP from Mandi, said she took “no liberties at all” in the portrayal of Indira Gandhi and the Emergency months.
The actor, often in the news for her comments, added that she thought Indira Gandhi was a "very powerful person" before she started working on "Emergency".
"But when I did my research, I understood it was quite the contrary. It also strengthened my belief that the weaker you are, the more control you would want. She was a very weak person and she was also very unsure of herself and really vulnerable.
"She had many crutches around and she was constantly seeking a kind of validation. She was also hugely dependent on many people, one of them was Sanjay Gandhi... I didn't have that kind of empathy for her before 'Emergency'."
Ranaut is no stranger to playing real-life characters on screen: she portrayed freedom fighter Rani of Jhansi in "Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi" and the late Tamil Nadu chief minister-film star J Jayalalithaa in "Thalaivii".
According to the first-time MP, “people” tried hard to stop “Emergency” from releasing.
"I was completely devastated. I thought maybe it will never see the light of the day. Because there was earlier a film on Mrs Gandhi called 'Kissa Kursi Ka'.
"I thought maybe it's jinxed or something that you can't make a film on her... And I had also put some investments into it. There were a lot of issues, obviously I was disheartened," Ranaut said.
"Emergency" missed out on its September 6, 2024 release date as it was unable to obtain the clearance certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Ranaut had then accused the CBFC of stalling the certification. The matter went to the Bombay High Court where production banner Zee Studios eventually agreed to comply with the changes suggested by CBFC's revising committee.
She did not reveal the number of cuts the CBFC directed but said she would have liked the film to release the way she had made it.
The film, Ranaut said, has not been made with the intention of hurting people or their sentiments. "As the film is not made with that intention, even if that was removed, it doesn't impact my story."
Describing "Emergency" as an "unusual and controversial" film, Ranaut said audiences are used to watching traditional song-and-dance movies from Bollywood.
"But when you have something so unusual, people are a bit unsettled about it. 'How come she made a film like this?' This is controversial and talks about a very important chapter in history."
The 38-year-old, known for films such as "Gangster", the "Tanu Weds Manu" franchise, "Fashion", "Queen" and "Panga", said she believes in the "power of authenticity".
"Since my film was deeply scrutinised, I had to present proof of the documentation, the source, everything. I had to face a lot of setbacks, challenges, scrutiny and all kinds of pressures.
"They say truth eventually trumps over everything. We presented all the proof. Different communities, (political) parties, historians, common man, anyone who has seen the film has said there is nothing objectionable in it," she said.
Has acting taken a back seat after becoming an MP last June?
"Not really a back seat but yes being a parliamentarian is also a very demanding job. I have been going to Parliament almost every month. There has been a little bit of a setback in terms of my shootings. I'm not able to, but I will resume," she said.
"Emergency" also stars Anupam Kher as Jayaprakash Narayan, Shreyas Talpade in the role of a young Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Milind Soman as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Mahima Choudhary as Pupul Jayakar and the late Satish Kaushik in the role of Jagjivan Ram. It is produced by Manikarnika Films.
VIDEO | Here's what actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) said responding to a query whether she had any interaction with the Gandhi family regarding her upcoming film 'Emergency'.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 8, 2025
"No, no, they didn't reach out to me, but I met Priyanka Gandhi in the Parliament and she… pic.twitter.com/UnbfsBxCxg
