The Karnataka High Court on Monday ordered the release of the brother and nephew of Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pralhad Joshi after the two were arrested for allegedly promising an election ticket to a former MLA in exchange for Rs 2.5 crore, Live Law reported.
A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna also stayed the investigation and proceedings into the matter. The court said that the persons accused in the cheating case had accepted that they had taken the money and had agreed to return the entire amount, Bar and Bench reported.
Nagaprasanna issued the direction after hearing a petition filed by the consumer affairs minister’s brother Gopal Joshi and nephew Ajay Joshi, seeking the quashing of the first information report filed against them, Bar and Bench reported.
The case was filed based on a complaint by Sunitha Chavan, the wife of former Nagthan MLA and Janata Dal (Secular) leader Devanand Fulasing Chavan.
She alleged that Gopal Joshi had cheated her of Rs 2.5 crore after promising her husband a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket for the Bijapur Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Gopal Joshi and Ajay Joshi were arrested on October 19. Subsequently, they were remanded to police custody by a Bengaluru court.
After the arrests, Pralhad Joshi distanced himself from his brother, stating that they have been estranged for 32 years.
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