K’taka: Court grants conditional bail to BJP legislator Munirathna; faces arrest in rape case
Bengaluru: The Special Court for MLAs/MPs here on Thursday granted conditional bail to BJP legislator N. Munirathna in an atrocity-related case. The MLA from RR Nagar constituency, however, could be “arrested soon” in connection with a rape case.
The court gave him bail in another case related to giving a death threat to a contractor.
These cases were registered with the Vyalikaval police station in Bengaluru.
However, MLA Munirathna is facing arrest in a rape case lodged against him at Kaggalipura police station in Ramnagar district. The FIR was filed in the case in the early hours of Thursday.
The rape case was lodged against him while he was in prison.
Earlier, while granting the bail, the court directed him to pledge Rs 2 lakh bond. It also instructed him not to make any attempt to destroy evidence and threaten witnesses in the case.
The procedures of bail are being completed by Munirathna’s counsel. However, according to sources, there is a chance of the BJP leader being taken into custody by the police in the rape case.
Earlier, counsel Surya Mukundaraj, appearing for the complainant, submitted to the court that if bail is granted to Munirathna, there is a high chance of destruction of evidence.
Senior Counsel Ashok Harnalli, appearing for MLA Munirathna, had stated that in the complaint it is not mentioned when exactly the abuse was made.
“The sections imposed on Munirathna can’t be invoked against him in the case and hence bail should be granted to him,” he said.
After hearing arguments and counterarguments, the bench had reserved the order for Thursday.
The accused MLA was arrested while trying to escape to Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh.
Cheluvaraju, the contractor who lodged a police complaint against Munirathna, met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah last Saturday and made a submission that even as the police had filed two FIRs, no action was initiated.
Karnataka Police had on Saturday filed two FIRs against the BJP MLA from the Rajarajeshwari Nagar (RR Nagar) constituency. The cases were registered at the Vyalikaval police station in Bengaluru. The court had given bail to him in both the cases.
Cheluvaraju alleged that Munirathna demanded Rs 20 lakh from him and threatened that if he did not comply, he would face the same fate as Renukaswamy.
Incidentally, Renukaswamy was kidnapped and killed by Kannada superstar Darshan and his associates for sending derogatory messages to Pavithra Gowda, Darshan’s partner.
Police have lodged an FIR against Munirathna, in connection with raping a woman social activist, in the early hours of Thursday.
The Kaggalipura Police in Ramanagara district filed an FIR against Munirathna following the complaint by the woman.
The woman mentioned in her complaint that the BJP leader had taken her to a godown owned by him in Mutyalanagara and raped her.
The complainant had also stated that he recorded the act.
The victim also claimed that she was forced to honeytrap people in different private resorts. “He had threatened me with life to get this job done,” the victim wrote in the complaint.
Kaggalipura police have also booked an FIR against six of his associates.
