K’taka HC grants anticipatory bail to Channagiri MLA in Lokayukta case

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Channagiri MLA Madal Virupakshappa who has been named the main accused in a Lokayukta search case after Rs 8.12 crore of unaccounted money was found in the possession of his son Prashanth Madal.

Hearing Virupakshappa’s petition, a single-judge bench of Justice K Natarajan directed him to furnish a bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties while asking him to present himself before the investigating agency within 48 hours of receiving the order. The anticipatory bail will be in effect till the Lokayukta police submit evidence of his involvement and the next hearing has been posted for March 17.

Earlier, Virupakshappa’s lawyer Sandeep Patil argued for bail on the grounds of his age and health condition. He also claimed that there is no truth in the FIR stating that Virupakshappa’s son Prashanth Madal works with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and is not linked to Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (KSDL).

BJP workers in Channagiri celebrating the grant of anticipatory bail to Madal Virupakshappa on Tuesday by the High Court.

As soon as the high court granted anticipatory bail, BJP workers in Channagiri started celebrating. Virupakshappa has been missing for the last six days ever since the Lokayukta police caught his son red-handed with crores in cash.

Posters proclaiming that Madal Virupakshappa is missing sprung up in Davanagere and in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, Congress workers had stuck posters overnight claiming ‘Missing’ across Davanagere and at the bus station at Yeshwantpur in Bengaluru. In Davanagere, Youth Congress workers, led by Nikhil Kondajji, stuck posters on the main roads in the city requesting people to call the police helpline 100 and taunting that Virupakshappa, who has been named accused No. 1, had been missing for the last six days. The posters, which had information about Virupakshappa’s age, height and some other details, also appealed to people to help look for him and aid the Lokayukta investigation