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Madal Virupakshappa granted conditional bail: This is what the bribery-accused MLA needs to do

The Lokayukta police filed objections to the MLA's bail. However, the special court heard the matter and posted the matter to a future date.

ByBellie Thomas

Published Apr 16, 2023 | 2:03 AM ⚊UpdatedApr 16, 2023 | 2:04 AM

Channagiri Constituency MLA Madal Virupakshappa

A special court in Bengaluru granted conditional bail to arrested Channagiri MLA Madal Virupakshappa on Saturday, 15 April.

This was after the Karnataka High Court dismissed the BJP MLA’s anticipatory bail after Lokayukta officials not only filed objections but also moved the Supreme Court challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order granting interim anticipatory bail to Virupakshappa in the bribery case involving his son Prashanth.

“The Lokayukta police had filed objections for the MLA’s bail. However, the special court heard the matter and posted the orders to a further date,” Dr Subramaneswar Rao, IPS, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Karnataka Lokayukta, told South First.

While granting the conditional bail, Judge B Jayanth Kumar asked Madal Virupakshappa to furnish a bond of ₹5 lakh and two sureties, and that he appear before the Lokayukta whenever summoned.

He should surrender his passport, not visit Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) and not tamper with any evidence or influence witnesses by any means, the court said.

Police sources hinted that keeping the MLA in jail at the time of the elections would cause disrepute to the party that he belonged to, and it would certainly bring down the impression of the leader.

Related: The Yediyurappa loyalist whose son was caught taking bribes

The case

Virupakshappa has been booked under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act for demanding bribes from firms that supplied chemicals to the KSDL.

The MLA’s son Prashanth was trapped red-handed while he was accepting ₹40 lakh cash at his father’s office on Crescent Road in the first week of March.

The Lokayukta police also searched Madal’s house and recovered ₹8.23 crore, including the money from the office, after which the law enforcement agencies registered two more FIRs against the MLA.

Virupakshappa managed to obtain conditional bail even though he appeared before the investigating agency, and he did not cooperate with the investigations, following which the Lokayukta officials approached the high court and got his conditional bail cancelled on 27 March.

Virupakshappa was arrested by the Lokayukta police within hours, while he was on his way from Tumakuru to Bengaluru.

He was sent to five-day custody and questioned in detail before he was remanded to judicial custody till 11 April, and the court directed the Lokayukta officials to file their objections for his bail hearing that was coming up.