The Karnataka High Court has granted bail to Abhinava Halashree Swami, who is the third accused in the case of cheating a businessman into believing that he would be given a BJP ticket in the recent state assembly election.
A bench of Justice Vishwajit Shetty has granted bail to Abhinava Halashree Swami of Hirehadagali Halaswamy Math, Vijayanagar district, after hearing the arguments of the seer’s advocate and the government prosecutor.
The prosecutor informed the court about the charge sheet filed by investigating officers during the petition hearing.
Senior advocate Arun Shyam contended that with the completion of the investigation and the submission of the charge sheet, the seer’s custody is unnecessary.
The money allegedly received has been seized and presented to the Magistrate Court. The charges carry a punishment of less than seven years, and the allegations’ veracity is yet to be proven in trial, argued the senior advocate, leading to the court granting bail.
The complaint was filed by businessman Govind Babu Poojari, accusing the seer of taking Rs five crore for a promised BJP ticket.
The accused Hindu activists were arrested by the City Crime Branch police. Halashree Swami was arrested in Cuttack, Odisha, on September 19, 2023, and subsequently denied bail by an Additional City Civil and Sessions Court, prompting his appeal to the High Court.
