A Bengaluru court has ordered Shirahatti MLA Chandru Lamani to be remanded in judicial custody till March 3 after the Lokayukta police arrested him for allegedly accepting $5 thousand bribe from a contractor
Lamani was taken into custody after surgery and was later lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. The court also sent his personal assistant, Manjunath Valmiki, and his aide, Guru Naik, to judicial custody in connection with the same case.
Lamani was also transferred to a government hospital for a medical examination before being presented before the Special Court for Public Prosecutors. The authorities have registered a case under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Lokayukta officials said that Lamani, his aide and an aide have been secured and the investigation is ongoing.
The arrest followed a complaint filed by Vijay Pujar, a grade-A contractor from Chinchali in Gadag district, who alleged that the MLA demanded $11 lakh for facilitating minor irrigation department works, including construction of retaining walls along the road. Based on the complaint, Lokayukta police laid a trap in Lakshmeswara town, where officials said Lamani was arrested while accepting part of the alleged bribe.
“Today, a successful trap was laid by Gadag Lokayukta Police Station. The accused public servant was arrested while accepting $5 lakh, officials said in a statement.
The case sparked political reactions across party lines. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the opposition, saying: “Lamani has been arrested by the Lokayukta. What will the BJP leaders say now? They have to react, right? It is easy to make allegations of corruption and bribery against others. But now a BJP member himself has been arrested.”
He added: “Let the Lokayukta conduct the investigation. We will not obstruct the investigation in any way. Whatever investigation the Lokayukta conducts, let it continue. We will talk about it politically later.”
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar struck a sarcastic remark, saying: “BJP leaders are very honest. They are free from corruption in this country. Lokayukta may have received some wrong information.” He added that he would comment further after the investigation progresses.
Senior BJP leaders, including Opposition leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and state party chief P Vijayendra, said they were not fully aware of the details and would respond after gathering more information.
Separately, an audio clip purporting to show Lamani in a conversation with the contractor was widely circulated, with claims that it contained discussions of payments and warnings. Officials did not confirm the authenticity of the recording.
