Bengaluru, Feb 21, 2026
A court in Karnataka on Saturday remanded BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, representing Bengaluru’s KR Puram constituency, to judicial custody till February 26 in a murder case.
Basavaraj was arrested in connection with the murder of a man and was questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The order was passed by the 42nd Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Court. Basavaraj will be shifted to the Bengaluru Central Prison located on the outskirts of the city.
Basavaraj, an accused in the murder case of rowdy-sheeter Shivaprakash alias Biklu Shiva, was taken into custody upon his arrival at the Kempegowda International Airport after the Karnataka High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
The Supreme Court also refused to grant him relief.
The BJP has alleged foul play and claimed that the government in Karnataka targeted him for political reasons.
BJP State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra visited Basavaraj’s residence and stated that he had helped the BJP come to power in Karnataka by quitting the Congress.
He told supporters that his own family had allegedly faced false cases in the past and claimed that Basavaraj had been falsely implicated in the present case.
The murder of Biklu Shiva occurred on July 15 last year in the Halasuru area of Bengaluru.
Investigators have reportedly gathered key evidence against the MLA. CID sources said custodial interrogation of Basavaraj is necessary to further the probe and to uncover the larger conspiracy behind the murder.
Basavaraj has been booked on murder charges and named as the fifth accused in connection with the killing of Biklu Shiva, who was hacked to death in front of his residence.
The Bharatinagar police in Bengaluru registered an FIR against the BJP MLA based on a complaint filed by the victim’s mother.
The case later took a dramatic turn when the deceased’s mother claimed that she had never mentioned the name of the BJP MLA in her complaint and did not know how his name was included in the FIR.
However, the police said they subsequently established Basavaraj’s links with the prime accused in the case.
Basavaraj had direct links with rowdy Jagadeesh alias Jagga, the prime accused in the case, and had met Biklu Shiva several times prior to the killing.(Agency)
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