BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj Remanded in Judicial Custody Over Bengaluru Real Estate Murder

A special court in Bengaluru has remanded BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj in judicial custody until February 26. Basavaraj, 64, was arrested by the CID unit of the Karnataka Police on February 12 in connection with the murder of real estate operative V G Shivaprakash alias Bikla Shiva, 44, on July 15, 2025. The murder was allegedly over a land dispute in east Bengaluru.

Byrathi Basavaraj, the BJP MLA from the KR Puram constituency in east Bengaluru, was remanded in judicial custody at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. This decision came at the end of his seven days of police custody, which was granted by a special court for hearing cases against elected representatives.

On February 15, the CID sought nine days of police custody to question Basavaraj about his alleged links with a gang involved in the murder. The court granted seven days of custody to the CID to interrogate the MLA about his role in the crime.

The CID had sought police custody, stating that custodial interrogation was essential as the Karnataka High Court had ordered the same in a ruling on February 10. CID Special Prosecutor Ashok Naik told the court on February 13 that the BJP MLA had previously lied to the Bengaluru police in statements about his involvement with the murder.

“It was revealed from the evidence obtained during the investigation that the truth was concealed in statements (by the MLA). The accused should be interrogated thoroughly and the further statement should be recorded,” the CID told the court.

The court was informed that the murder victim, Bikla Shiva, had filed complaints with the police about four to five months before the murder, alleging threats from Basavaraj and his associates over real estate disputes in east Bengaluru.

“During the investigation, it was learned that the accused (MLA) was supporting accused A-1 (Jagadish P alias Jaga) and A-20 (Ajeeth Kumar) in their real estate business. An investigation should be conducted after obtaining information from the accused,” the court was informed.

Realtor Bikla Shiva was hacked to death outside his home in east Bengaluru on the evening of July 15, 2025, by a gang of assailants over a real estate dispute. Members of a criminal gang allegedly associated with BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj and involved in the real estate business in east Bengaluru were implicated in the murder.

Byrathi Basavaraj was named in the murder FIR filed by the Bengaluru police based on a complaint by the mother of the murder victim. She alleged that her son had been receiving threats from the MLA and his associates in a dispute over a 12 gunta property at Kithaganur in east Bengaluru.

The MLA has since moved a special sessions court for bail in the case.

Additionally, the special court remanded businessman-advocate A G Ajeeth Kumar, 48, a close associate of the MLA, in judicial custody until February 26. Ajeeth Kumar, named as A20 in the case, is accused of funding, providing logistical and motivational support for the murder of Bikla Shiva at the behest of the MLA.

Ajeeth Kumar was arrested on February 12 after a special court canceled his interim bail in the wake of the Supreme Court rejecting an anticipatory bail plea filed by Byrathi Basavaraj. The special magistrate’s court, which granted the CID six days of custody of Ajeeth Kumar on February 12, rejected a plea made by the CID on February 15 for additional custody of five days.

The CID sought additional custody “for collection of the CCTV footage of the places of conspiracy, which were stated to have been collected and secured by the accused” and for confronting him with mirror images of the mobile data extracts of the accused which were seized during the investigation. The court rejected the plea for additional custody but granted liberty to the CID to approach the court again “after obtaining the report as to mirror images of mobile data extraction.”

The CID filed a chargesheet against 18 of the 20 accused persons in the murder case in December, with the exception of MLA Byrathi Basavaraj and Ajeeth Kumar, who are also accused in the murder case. The police have informed the courts that the murder had its origins in a dispute dating back to February 2025, when a claimant to a property identified as Ravi contacted accused No. 2 Kiran K, stating that the murder victim Bikla Shiva had built a compound wall for four 30 x 40 sites on 12 guntas of land belonging to the claimant in Kithaganur in east Bengaluru.