The Karnataka Excessive Courtroom Friday directed Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) MLA and former minister B A Basavaraj to look for police questioning in reference to the killing of a realtor in east Bengaluru earlier this week.
The order, issued in response to a petition filed by Basavaraj in search of a keep on the investigation, comes simply days after Bengaluru police named him because the fifth accused within the homicide of V G Shivaprakash, often known as Bikla Shiva. Shivaprakash, 44, was hacked to loss of life on a metropolis road close to Ulsoor Lake on July 15.
“In the intervening time, by the use of an interim association and with out prejudice to the rights and contentions of the events, petitioner is directed to look earlier than the first respondent police authorities on 19.07.2025 at 11.30 a.m. as indicated within the Discover at Annexure-J dated 16.07.2025 issued to the petitioner,” the HC stated in its interim order on Friday.
The courtroom added that if the MLA appeared for the investigation on Saturday, the “police shall proceed additional strictly in accordance with legislation” and adjust to provisions for the arrest of people.
The BJP MLA was named as accused on account of the homicide being allegedly executed by Jagadish, aka Jagga, an in depth affiliate of the MLA. Jagga has been named because the prime accused, alongside together with his associates Kiran, Vimal Raj, Anil and others.
Basavaraj, often known as Byrathi Basavaraj, is the cousin of Karnataka city growth minister and Congress chief Byrathi Suresh. The BJP MLA was beforehand with the Congress, however had shifted his allegiance in 2019, together with 16 different Congress and JDS MLAs, to assist the BJP topple the then JDS-Congress authorities within the state.
Basavaraj has a fame as a land shark and realtor in east Bengaluru, whose fortunes have surged exponentially within the final decade, since he has been the Okay R Puram MLA.
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The murdered realtor, Bikla Shiva, had beforehand lodged complaints with the Bengaluru police over receiving threats concerning a disputed one-acre property within the Kithaganur space of east Bengaluru from the associates of the MLA — who had been additionally claimants to the property by the use of agreements with one part of the homeowners.
Bikla Shiva, too, had a legal historical past and a number of instances of extortion and violence towards him in police stations throughout east Bengaluru.
The Bengaluru police have to this point arrested 5 individuals for Bikla Shiva’s homicide. The accused have been recognized as Kiran Okay, Vimal Raj, Pradeep Okay, Madan R and Samuel V, all of whom have crime information and are suspected henchmen of Jagga.
Following the arrest, the Bengaluru police had issued summons to the BJP MLA to look earlier than them for investigation into the matter. Nevertheless, the MLA approached the Karnataka HC for a keep on the investigations and quashing of the FIR towards him.
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Bikla Shiva was reportedly concerned in a public spat over the one-acre Kithaganur property with the arrested Vimal Raj in February this 12 months, a video of which was additionally captured.
A resident of Meanee Avenue, Bikla Shiva, was standing outdoors his residence on the night of July 15 and talking to his driver, Imran, and good friend, Lokesh, when over eight folks arrived on the spot on bikes and attacked him. In her grievance to the police, Bikla Shiva’s mom, Vijayalakshmi, stated she witnessed the homicide from the balcony of her home.
Basavaraj, nevertheless, has denied the allegations towards him, saying that they had been “politically motivated”. “The property in query falls beneath the Mahadevapura Meeting phase. What curiosity will I’ve there? I don’t even know Shivaprakash. If he had complained, alleging that I used to be behind the loss of life threats, why was I not questioned even as soon as by the police?” the BJP MLA Basavaraj argued.