About two days after the arrest of former rowdy sheeter B.M. Mallikarjun alias ‘Fighter Ravi’ and his gunman, the High Court granted them interim bail on Monday. The police had booked them under Section (30) of the Arms Act, 1959, and Section 109 (attempt to murder) of the BNS.
The Sadashivanagar police arrested the accused on January 24 for allegedly threatening a person identified as Somashekar and brandishing a gun. The incident had occurred at the office of Ravi. In the FIR, it is said that Somashekar had visited Ravi’ office to enquire about a person named as Srikrishna and ₹70 lakh financial deal.
Ravi had identified with the BJP and he quit the party for being denied an MLA ticket. In the last Assembly elections he contested as an Independent candidate from Nagamangala segment and lost.
The HC granted conditional interim bail for a period of three weeks. The court observed that “the records, including the OPD summary from K.C. General Hospital, revealed that the petitioners were arrested on January 23, 2025, and taken for a medical checkup at 12.45 a.m. This contradicts the police’s claim that the arrest occurred at 4.30 p.m. on January 24, 2025, when the grounds of arrest were allegedly served.”
The court observed that the grounds of arrest lacked clarity and specific details, falling short of constitutional requirements under Article 22(1) and Section 50(1) of the CrPc.
Additionally, the complainant’s allegations about threats made with a revolver were deemed vague.
Ravi talking to The Hindu alleged that this was a “false case” filed against him by his political opponents.
Published - January 27, 2025 11:18 pm IST
