The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Madal Virupakshappa, a Channagiri BJP MLA and the prime accused in the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents (KSDL) contract scandal.
A single-judge bench of Justice K Natarajan granted the anticipatory bail to the MLA after hearing his plea.
Prashanth Madal, (the son of Madal Virupakshappa) is the chief accounts officer of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, who was detained on March 2 by Lokayutka police for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 40 lakh on his father’s behalf at the KSDL office.
Following his son’s arrest, Virupakashappa resigned as chairman of KSDL.
The bench ordered the MLA to appear before the investigating officer in the case within 48 hours of obtaining the order copy while granting conditional bail. The anticipatory bail was granted on the condition of a Rs 5 lakh bond.
Also, while Virupakshappa was out on bail, he was warned not to tamper with the witness.
In his plea, the MLA stated that he had been wrongly accused of being involved in the alleged bribery case and that he had no part in it.
The further hearing of the case was adjourned to March 17,2023.
