Byrathi Basavaraj faces prospect of arrest despite court nixing KCOCA charges

BENGALURU: Former minister Byrathi Basavaraj is facing the prospect of arrest in the Biklu Shiva murder case, with the High Court denying him anticipatory bail. This has increased the risk of his arrest.

The CID had invoked the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes (KCOCA) Act against Basavaraj, and he had approached the High Court challenging it. While he got relief in this matter, his attempt to evade arrest has backfired.

Now, the only option left for him is to appeal to the Supreme Court to get protection from arrest until he gets bail. It is likely that he will file a petition in the Supreme Court on Saturday seeking protection from arrest by the CID. Basavaraj is planning to seek protection from two courts — the Supreme Court and the trial court. The High Court has ruled that anticipatory bail can only be granted by a lower court, and the High Court cannot grant interim protection until then.

The CID is conducting a manhunt in Goa and Maharashtra with two teams, and Basavaraj’s mobile has been switched off since Friday afternoon. The CID is gathering information about people in contact with him and investigating his movements during the winter session of the Assembly.

The police have tightened security in front of the CID office, with several policemen deployed. The CID has traced Basavaraj’s last live location to Pune, Maharashtra, and is investigating his subsequent movements. Basavaraj is believed to have left for Maharashtra after the Belagavi session on Friday morning.