Court grants conditional bail to BJP MLA Munirathna

Bengaluru: A special court for people’s representatives on Thursday granted conditional bail to BJP MLA N Munirathna, who has been arrested on various charges, including using casteist slurs.

The court, after hearing arguments on his bail plea, allowed his application on the condition of furnishing a Rs two lakh bond and two sureties, and issued specific instructions prohibiting him from tampering with evidence or obstructing the investigation.

The 60-year-old has also been directed to fully cooperate with the ongoing inquiry.

Munirathna’s legal team argued that the charges were politically-motivated and that there was no substantial evidence to support the charges against him.

The prosecution insisted that the case warranted serious consideration due to the sensitive nature of the alleged offence.

The former minister was arrested on September 14 after two cases were registered against him.

The Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA is facing charges of harassing a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike contractor for bribe, casteist slurs on a former corporator, and also cheating, criminal intimidation and insulting a woman’s modesty.

The contractor Cheluvaraju, who is one of the complainants, has also released a purported audio recording of a phone conversation between him and Munirathna, in which the latter had allegedly made derogatory comments in reference to individuals from Vokkaliga and Dalit communities.