SC refuses to entertain Karnataka MLA's plea against HC order denying him anticipatory bail

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea filed by Karnataka BJP MLA B A Basavaraj challenging a high court order denying him anticipatory bail in a murder case. The bench said the court should be extremely circumspect while considering an anticipatory bail application in a murder case.

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea filed by Karnataka BJP MLA B A Basavaraj challenging a high court order denying him anticipatory bail in a murder case. ''You are a public person. You should rather go with a courageous face and say that I am ready to face any kind of interrogation,'' said Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who was heading the bench, which also comprised Justice Joymalya Bagchi. Basavaraj has been named as one of the accused in the July 15, 2025, murder of Shivaprakash alias Bikla Shiva. After the top court showed its disinclination to entertain the plea, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Basavaraj, sought permission to withdraw the petition. The bench permitted the petitioner to withdraw the plea with liberty to apply for regular bail. ''We request the court concerned to decide the application for regular bail expeditiously,'' the bench said. During the hearing, Rohatgi said the petitioner has nothing to do with the murder. There was a property dispute, and there was absolutely no material to suggest that Basavaraj had anything to do with it, he argued. ''The land grabbers, they normally have political protection,'' the CJI observed. The bench said the court should be ''extremely circumspect'' while considering an anticipatory bail application in a murder case. Referring to some of the allegations, the bench said these are matters of investigation. In its order passed on February 10, the high court said, ''Considering that the grant of anticipatory bail is an extraordinary relief that may be extended, the court is of the opinion that the political power that the petitioner wields and noticing that the deceased and his mother stays within the same constituency, there is a possibility of fair investigation being hampered and which may also be a reason to deny anticipatory bail.''

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