Yogesh K Porwar
After spending 87 days in prison,Former Mayor, Sampath Raj walked out of Parappana Agrahara after the High Court granted him bail on Friday.
He was arrested for his alleged involvement with the violence broke out in DJ halli and KG halli.
The High Court on Friday,granted his bail and released him from the prison on Friday evening.
The accused Sampath Raj was in judicial custody since three months after being arrested by the CCB.The single judge bench of Justice John Michael Cunha granted bail to Sampath Raj.
Meanwhile Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasmurthy said I request the party President and High command to Expel Sampath Raj from the Congress party he told media persons.
The Congress corporator from Devara Jeevanahalli municipal ward was arrested in Bengaluru on November 17 2020.Around 3,000 to 4,000 people went on a rampage on August 11 last year,setting ablaze the houses of Pulakeshinagar Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and his sister over an alleged inflammatory social media post by his nephew.
The mob also torched Devara Jeevanahalli and Kadugondanahalli police stations over suspicion that the nephew was present there.
Three people were killed in police firing while another person died due to abdominal injuries suffered in the violence. In the charge sheet, Sampath Raj was charged with hatching a conspiracy for the violence to finish off the MLA politically in connivance with another Congress corporator and some others.
His advocate argued that there was no strong evidence against him and it was politically motivated.
Police had identified Sampath Raj as one among prime accused who played a vital role in setting the house of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy’s house on fire during the East Bengaluru violence on the night of August 11.
He was absconding since October 29 after he was discharged from a private hospital and the CCB sleuths who traced him,had arrested him on November 16 in Benson Town.
Another main accused identified by CCB as former corporator Zakir was also granted bail.
