Karnataka BJP MLA gets pre-arrest bail in KSDL-related graft case

On Thursday, Lokayukta officials arrested Prashanth Madal, who was caught taking a bribe in his father’s office. In the raids that followed, they recovered ₹6.1 crore in cash from his Sanjaynagar residence and ₹2.2 crore from his office.

The Karnataka high court on Tuesday granted interim anticipatory bail to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Madal Virupakshappa, the prime accused in a corruption case related to the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents (KSDL).

The Karnataka high court on Tuesday granted interim anticipatory bail to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Madal Virupakshappa (ANI)

On Tuesday, Justice K Natarajan of the special court for elected representatives directed the petitioner to furnish a bail bond for ₹5 lakh with “surety for like sum and also surrender/ appear before the investigating officer within 48 hours of receipt of the order copy”.

The judge pointed out that the bail order would be in force till the disposal of the anticipatory bail petition. The matter has been adjourned to March 17.

On Thursday, Lokayukta officials arrested Prashanth Madal, who was caught taking a bribe in his father’s office. In the raids that followed, they recovered ₹6.1 crore in cash from his Sanjaynagar residence and ₹2.2 crore from his office.

Altogether, ₹8.23 crore cash, a huge quantity of gold and silver ornaments and large investments in land in various parts of Karnataka were allegedly uncovered.

In his petition, Virupakshappa said that the allegations made in the first information report (FIR) are “absurd, and there are no sufficient grounds to proceed” against him. According to the petition, initially, the FIR was registered under sections 7 (a) and (b) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

“In the present case, there is no such allegation that the petitioner had ever demanded any pecuniary advantage to do a public duty in favour of the complainant. The petitioner was not even the person who was trapped pursuant to the FIR. Such being the case, arraying the petitioner as accused itself is bad in law,” the petition said.

“In the instant case, nowhere in the complaint and the FIR there is a specific allegation against the petitioner to have taken illegal gratification. Mere recovery of money from accused no 2 (Prashant Madal) bereft of any material showing illegal or corrupt means or abuse of official function, would not be sufficient cause to register and maintain proceedings under the alleged offences under the PC Act,” the petition added.

Hours after he was given bail, the MLA received a hero’s welcome as he returned to his residence in Davangere. Visuals going viral on social media show his supporters bursting crackers and celebrating around his car as he returned to his residence.

However, people close to developments said the welcome was a response from the MLA’s supporters for the posters put out by the Congress claiming the MLA was missing. Handbills describing senior Virupakshappa as “missing” were pasted in parts of Davangere on Tuesday morning.

The posters state that the BJP MLA, who is aged 72 and has a wheatish complexion, is missing from the chief minister’s office. “Please help us find the A1 accused of the Lokayukta investigation — Incompetent 40% Sarkar,” the poster, mocking the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), read.

Meanwhile, Congress has called a two-hour-long state-wide bandh of markets in Karnataka on March 9 against the “corrupt BJP government”, said party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday.

“The 9th Karnataka Bandh is a symbolical bandh of markets only for 2 hours from 9 AM-11 AM only against “Corrupt BJP Govt”. To avoid inconvenience, road-rail transport, educational institutions, exams, hospitals, essential services are all exempted and not a part of the bandh,” said Surjewala in a tweet.

Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai refused to respond to the bail granted to the MLA, saying that the matter was sub-judice. Talking about the Bandh call by the Congress, the chief minister shared amusement over the Congress calling a two-hour bandh. “The congress party knows that it doesn’t have the credibility to call for the bandh and that people will not support it,” said Bommai.