BJP MLA Virupakshappa moves HC for anticipatory bail in bribery case
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa, accused in a bribery case, on Monday approached the Karnataka High Court seeking anticipatory bail.
Channagiri MLA's advocate approached the bench of Justice K Natarajan seeking an urgent hearing of the petition. The court said it would hear it after listing on Tuesday.
In an alleged cash-for-contract scandal, over Rs eight crore was recovered by Lokayukta from the MLA's son V Prashanth Madal last week. Lokayukta has registered an FIR in the alleged bribery case, in which Virupakshappa was named accused number one.
The unaccounted cash was recovered from the office of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited, of which Virupakshappa was the Chairman, after a trap by Lokayukta in which his son was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 40 lakh. The MLA subsequently quit the post.
Further searches led to the recovery of about Rs 2 crore from the KSDL office and over Rs 6 crore from Prashanth's house. Altogether Rs 8.23 crore cash, huge quantity of gold and silver ornaments and large investments in land in various parts of Karnataka were allegedly uncovered, Lokayukta sources said.
Virupakshappa has also approached a civil court in Bengaluru seeking injunction against media houses from publishing defamatory news about him.
Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Monday slammed the BJP government on the bribery case.
“Day 4 of #MysoreSandalSoapBribeGate ! BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa still missing. If Bommai Govt can't even arrest an absconding MLA, how will it tackle law & order and criminals in #Karnataka ? Will disclose more info on bribe gate shortly. TIME FOR HM & CM to Quit ! the Congress leader tweeted.
He sought to know whether some more people were involved in the scam. “Did Prashant Madal S/O BJP MLA eat up a paper, when he was arrested on 3rd March? Was the name of Yathish Chandra IPS, DCP Crime Branch written on the slip? Was name of children of 2 politicians on the slip too? Who all were receiving the money?,” Surjewala asked.
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Complainants hail HC order dismissing CM's petition challenging Guv's order
Bengaluru (PTI): The complainants, who were granted sanction by the Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot after they sought an order for probe from the special court against the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a site allotment case, on Tuesday hailed the High Court's verdict dismissing his petition challenging the approval.
The Chief Minister had challenged the approval given by Gehlot for an investigation against him in the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in a prime locality.
The Governor on August 16 accorded sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for the commission of the alleged offences as mentioned in the petitions submitted to him by the three complainants -- Abraham T J, Snehamayi Krishna and Pradeep Kumar S P.
“We had petitioned in the High Court seeking the dismissal of Siddaramaiah's plea. Whatever objections we had filed, the order has come accordingly, which is a matter of pleasure for us,” Abraham told reporters soon after a single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna dismissed Siddaramaiah’s petition.
When told that the Chief Minister may challenge the order in the division bench, Abraham said: “Let him challenge in the division bench. He will use his legal rights. Since he is moving the (High Court's) division bench, we are filing a caveat there.”
Krishna said: “We had brought to the notice of the High Court that Siddaramaiah’s role is there in the irregularities. Accordingly, the Honourable Court gave its order.”
Krishna claimed that there was "unshakable" documentary evidence available against the Chief Minister. “He will lose whichever court he goes to."
After completing the hearings on the petition in six sittings from August 19, Justice Nagaprasanna on September 12 reserved the verdict.
On August 19, Siddaramaiah moved the High Court challenging the legality of the Governor's order.
