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Lokayukta cops get BJP MLA custody till April 1
Following his arrest, he was taken to a hospital in Bengaluru for a medical check-up and was later shifted to the Lokayukta office, where a preliminary questioning was conducted, the Lokayukta police officer said, adding the MLA has moved the court for bail
Bengaluru:
Bengaluru: A special court in Bengaluru on Tuesday sent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Karnataka legislator Madal Virupakshappa to five-day police custody in connection with a corruption case.
The order came a day after the Lokayukta police on Monday arrested the Channagiri MLA, hours after the Karnataka high court rejected his anticipatory bail application in the case.
While the Lokayukta police demanded a 10-day custody of the legislator citing he was not cooperating with the probe, the MLA’s lawyer “objected to police custody claiming he has appeared for questioning multiple times,” said an officer from the Lokayukta police, requesting anonymity.
After hearing both parties, judge B Jayant Kumar of the special court for MP/MLA on Tuesday remanded Virupakshappa in the Lokayukta police custody till April 1 for questioning.
The MLA was arrested from a toll booth in Kyathsandra in Tumakuru district on Monday night. Following his arrest, he was taken to a hospital in Bengaluru for a medical check-up and was later shifted to the Lokayukta office, where a preliminary questioning was conducted, the Lokayukta police officer cited above said, adding the MLA has moved the court for bail.
On March 2, in what caused the BJP embarrassment, Virupakshappa was named the main accused in a corruption case lodged by the Karnataka Lokayukta after his son was caught taking a bribe of ₹40 lakh. In the raids that followed, Lokayukta authorities recovered ₹6.1 crore in cash from his Sanjay Nagar residence and ₹2.2 crore from his office. A total of ₹8.23 crore in cash, a huge quantity of gold and silver ornaments and large investments in land in Karnataka were allegedly uncovered.
In the days following the raids, the MLA had accepted that the huge cash found in his house belonged to his family.
“Our taluk is known as the land of areca nut (supari). An ordinary farmer in our areca nut land has ₹5 crore to ₹6 crore at home. I have 125 acres of areca nut farm… and many other businesses as well. I will furnish the appropriate documents to the Lokayukta and get back my money,” he had claimed.
On Monday, the high court cancelled the interim anticipatory bail granted to the MLA on March 7.
“Though this Court granted the interim anticipatory bail until disposal of the case, because there was no material found in FIR (first information report) at that time, but now, there is sufficient evidence to show the involvement of the petitioner in the commission of offence…” Justice K Natarajan said in his judgment.
The court further said that Virupakshappa’s custody was necessary. “The custody of the petitioner is imminent for the Lokayukta police to interrogate him in the matter. Therefore, at this stage, this court feels that the interim anticipatory bail, requires to be cancelled as the petitioner-accused No.1 has not properly co-operated with the investigation officer,” it said.
Virupakshappa, however, claimed that allegations made in the FIR were absurd and there was no sufficient ground to proceed against him, another Lokayukta police officer said. “While hearing his plea, the bench had given him interim bail till the disposal of the anticipatory bail petition,” the officer said, declining to be named. “The court has rejected the anticipatory bail and thus the interim bail also stands cancelled.”
