A court in Bengaluru on Wednesday granted interim bail to journalist Ravi Belagere, who was arrested on December 8 on allegations of hiring a contract killer to murder a fellow journalist. He was granted bail on health grounds.

Belagere, the editor of Kannada tabloid Hi Bangalore, is accused of plotting to kill journalist Sunil Heggaravanahalli, who quit the newspaper two years ago because of differences with Belagere.

The police conducted searches in Belagere’s house in Bengaluru and seized a revolver, a double barrel gun and ammunition after two gunmen, who were arrested for illegal possession of arms, told the police that the editor had hired them to kill Heggaravanahalli.