Special court grants bail to MLA Byrathi Basavaraj in murder case

A special court in Bengaluru on Thursday granted bail to BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj in the case of murder of Shivaprakash alias Bikla Shiva, a realtor-cum-rowdy-sheeter, who was killed on July 15, 2025.

Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, judge of the special court of sessions for criminal cases against former and present MLAs and MPs, passed the order while allowing the bail plea of Basavaraj, who was arrested on February 12, 2026, and was remanded in judicial custody after facing interrogation in the police custody for week after his arrest. He has been arraigned as accused number-5 among the 20 accused.

The court directed the MLA not to threaten or tamper the prosecution witness and not to directly or indirectly make an attempt to influence any of the witness. Among the other conditions are that he as to appear before the investigating officer as and when required and has to cooperate for the probe, and not to leave the jurisdiction of the court without obtaining written permission from the court.