After Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Madal Virupakshappa was granted bail in a bribery case, the Advocates’ Association of Bengaluru on Tuesday expressed concern at the swiftness with which the case was listed by the Karnataka High Court.
Virupakshappa was named as the prime accused after the Lokayukta, the state’s anti-corruption watchdog, caught his son Prashanth Madal receiving a bribe of Rs 40 lakh from a businessman on March 2. Officers also recovered unaccounted cash worth Rs 6 crore from the MLA’s home.
The businessman had filed a complaint saying Prashanth Madal had demanded Rs 81 lakh as a bribe on behalf of his father to clear a tender worth Rs 4.8 crore to provide raw materials to Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited, of which Virupakshappa was the chairperson. The MLA resigned from the state-run company following the allegations.
On Tuesday, Justice K Natarajan granted interim anticipatory bail to Virupakshappa after his counsel told the High Court that as an MLA with “deep roots” in society, he would not flee from justice. The BJP leader, however, had not been traceable since he had been booked by the police in the case.
Hours after he was granted bail, the BJP MLA surfaced in his Channagiri constituency in Davanagere district and received a rousing welcome from his supporters. He also claimed that the allegations were a conspiracy against him and his family.
In a letter addressed to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, the Advocates’ Association on Tuesday noted that the Karnataka High Court usually takes several days to weeks to post new matters such as anticipatory bail pleas. But now matters involving VIPs are entertained overnight, the letter said.
“This practice would lead to common man losing faith in judicial system,” the advocates said. “It is of utmost importance that a MLA should also be treated as a common man.”
They urged the Karnataka High Court’s Chief Justice PB Varale to direct the registry to post all anticipatory bail matters in a single day to ensure that common people were treated like the BJP leader.
“It is essential that the temple of justice should be equal to all and any VIP must have to wait just as the common man,” their letter said.
Virupakshappa claimed that the money recovered from his home was from his arecanut cultivation business, The Indian Express reported. He claimed that since Channagiri is the land of arecanut farming, Rs 4 crore to Rs 5 crore “can be found even at the house of a common man”.
He added: “As we have a lot of businesses, Rs 6 crore is not a big deal for us. I will submit all the relevant documents to the Lokayukta.”
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