Kannada tabloid editor gets interim bail on health grounds

Bengaluru: A city court on Wednesday granted interim bail on health grounds to Kannada tabloid editor Ravi Belagere who was arrested for allegedly hiring a contract killer to kill one of his colleagues.

The 65th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court granted a three-day bail till December 16 to Belagere who made the plea for relief citing his health condition.

Belagere, who brings out "Hai Bangalore", was sent to Parapanna Agrahara Central Prison two days ago after a local court remanded him to 14-day judicial custody till December 23.

He was staying in the hospital ward of the jail.

The court had directed the police to provide proper medical treatment to Belagere, who is suffering from different ailments, at the prison.

Belagere was arrested from his house here on December 8 on charges of hiring a "supari" (contract) killer from Vijayapura in north Karnataka to kill Sunil Heggaravalli.

He was produced before a magistrate at the latter's residence on December 8 and remanded to police custody.

The police had got the lead about the alleged plot to eliminate Heggaravalli when contract killer Shashidhar Mundewadi was questioned in connection with a probe into the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh.

Based on the inputs, Belagare was arrested and a pistol and double barrel gun were seized from his possession.

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly had earlier passed a resolution sentencing Belagare and Anil Raju, the editor of tabloid Yelahanka Voice, to one year in jail for their alleged defamatory articles against state legislators.

The assembly recently rejected a plea by both the journalists to reconsider its decision.

On a petition by the journalists earlier this week, the Karnataka High Court directed the assembly not to pursue the proceedings against them until further orders.