State wants to be heard if Nalapad moves SC for bail

NEW DELHI: The Karnataka government has approached the Supreme Court with a plea that it should be heard if Mohammed Haris Nalapad, the son of Congress legislator N A Haris, files a bail application in the pub assault case.

Anticipating a public outcry, the state government, through advocate Sanjay M Nuli, filed a caveat in the top court to pre-empt any possible relief to Nalapad without it being heard.

On March 14, the High Court of Karnataka had dismissed Nalapad's bail application as the Central Crime Branch (CCB) had invoked sections on attempted murder, causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapon, rioting and other offences in the FIR registered at the Cubbon Park police station for the brutal assault that took place at Farzi Caf in Bengaluru's UB City on February 17.

As per the police complaint, Nalapad and his friends had mercilessly beaten up Vidwath L, a fellow diner with a broken leg, after a verbal fight. The group even chased the victim to Mallya Hospital and threatened him.

In the high court, the state government, represented by special public prosecutor M S Shyamsundar, had strongly opposed Nalapad's bail application, arguing that the incident was not a drunken brawl as claimed by the suspect's counsel, senior advocate C V Nagesh, but an exhibition of authoritarian and tyrannical might because he was the son of an MLA.

The high court had considered Nalapad's influential character and noted that he misused his position, tampered with evidence and intimidated the witnesses.

"The CCTV footage shows the horrendous atmosphere was created when the incident took place and there is no guarantee that such people will remain quite without tampering with the evidence once they come out of jail," Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar had said, rejecting the bail application.

DH News Service