The Karnataka High Court has granted conditional anticipatory bail to former minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Byrathi Basavaraj in connection with a rowdy-sheeter murder case. The bench, led by Justice G. Basavaraja, issued the order stating that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) lacked substantial reasons in its chargesheet against Byrathi Basavaraj. In case of arrest, he will be released, with the matter adjourned to January 6, 2026, for further proceedings.
Senior counsel Sandesh Chowta, representing Byrathi Basavaraj, highlighted that despite five months of CID investigation, no evidence linking his client to the case had been found. Chowta informed the court that the CID had not once summoned Basavaraj for questioning during this period. Previously, Karnataka Police had conducted a search for Basavaraj in connection with the murder case, with the CID issuing a lookout notice to prevent his potential escape.
Byrathi Basavaraj, accused as the fifth suspect in the murder of rowdy-sheeter Shivaprakash alias Biklu Shiva in July 2025, had been missing for eight days. The victim’s mother filed an FIR at the Bharatinagar Police Station in Bengaluru. Basavaraj, denying any involvement, emphasized his lack of association with the incident. Representing the K.R. Puram Assembly constituency in Bengaluru, he was once a close aide to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before joining the BJP.
