Bengaluru: Actor Duniya Vijay and his three associates, who had been put in prison for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a celebrity gym trainer on September 22, were granted bail by the 70th city civil and sessions court on Monday. Vijay walked out of the Parappana Agrahara prison on Monday evening after the bail formalities were over.
Justice T.P. Ramalinge Gowda granted bail to Vijay, Prasad, a bodybuilder, Mani, a gym coach, and Vijay’s driver Prasad on Rs 1 lakh bond and two sureties each. Granting bail, Justice Gowda advised Vijay to be a role model for society and not to indulge in such acts again. He directed the accused to cooperate with the investigation, not to tamper with the evidence and not to influence witnesses.
Vijay and his associates, who were booked under Sections 323 (assault), 362 (kidnap), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 342 (wrongful confinement), have spent nine days at the Parappana Agrahara Central prison since their arrest.
On September 26, Vijay's bail plea was rejected by a magistrate’s court on the grounds that the victim, Maruthi Gowda, was not in a condition to give a statement to the police, and without his statement, bail could not be granted. Vijay then filed an appeal before the sessions court, stating that Maruthi was giving confusing statements to the police only to delay bail.
On the day of kidnapping, Krishnamurthy H. alias Pani-Puri Kitty, who is Maruthi’s uncle and runs Muscle Planet gym, filed a complaint before the High Grounds police station that Maruthi attended a bodybuilding competition at Dr B.R. Ambedkar Bhavan in Vasanth Nagar, with three participants from his gym.
After the event, Duniya Vijay, who was the chief guest at the event, assaulted and later kidnapped Maruthi in his car.
Soon after the complaint was filed, the police summoned Vijay to the police station along with Maruthi, arrested him and produced him before court the next day.
