BENGALURU: Journalist and editor of Kannada weekly tabloid ‘Hai Bangalore’ Ravi Belagere, who was arrested on charges of giving supari (contract) to a sharp shooter to kill his colleague Sunil Heggaravalli, has been granted bail by the 65th City Civil & Sessions Court, on Thursday.
Madhusudhan, the Magistrate of the court, who had reserved the order on the bail petition on Monday, granted regular bail to Belagere. The bail conditions included Rs 2 lakh personal bond and two sureties.
Meanwhile, Belagere, who was undergoing treatment at Jayadeva Hospital, was shifted to Victoria Hospital early Thursday, as he was suffering from gall bladder stones.
It is learnt that Belagere will be undergoing treatment for a few more days and go home directly from hospital, as the court has granted him bail.
After the court order, journalist Sunil Heggaravalli told reporters that he would question the move in the High Court.
Meanwhile, Belagere’s advocate Diwakar said that the court had granted bail to his client and he would approach the High Court, seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him.
“The police have arrested him merely based on a statement made by another accused. Thus, we will file a petition in the High Court after the vacation, requesting for quashing the FIR,” Diwakar said.
Belagere was arrested on December 8 by the CCB police after Shashidhara Ramachandra Mundewadi, a sharp shooter, had confessed that Belagere had provided him a revolver, four bullets and a knife to kill Heggaravalli, with whom Belagere allegedly had personal enmity.
After three days in police custody, the court had remanded Belagere to judicial custody on December 11. However, he was in jail only for around 50 hours, as he complained of health problems and was shifted to Jayadeva Hospital.
