SC asks details of cases against VHP activist

The Supreme Court asked the Karnataka government to provide details of criminal cases faced by VHP and Bajrang Dal activist Khandya Praveen as the state sought a direction to cancel the anticipatory bail granted to him by the High Court of Karnataka in an abduction case.

The 2016 case had led to suicide of the then DySP Kallappa Handibag in Chikkamagaluru after charges were made that the officer was a part of whole conspiracy and paid Rs 10 lakh. Khandya was alleged to be the mastermind of the incident relating to abduction of Tejas Gowda.

A bench of Justices Abhay Manohar Sapre and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, in a recent order, granted four weeks time to state counsel V N Raghupathy to file details of the cases pending against Khandya. The court directed for listing of the matter thereafter. Khandya was represented by advocate Balaji Srinivasan.

Khandya had unsuccessfully contested as BJP rebel candidate from Sringeri constituency and polled 1294 votes which was seen as a major factor for defeat of three-term MLA from saffron party.

D N Jeevaraj, who lost by 1989 votes to Congress candidate T D Rajegowda. In July, last year, the top court had issued notice to Khandya on the state government’s challenge to the anticipatory bail granted to him by the high court on December 16, 2016.

The high court had allowed Khandya advance bail as he contended that he was a social activist involved in cow protection and anti-conversion campaign. He had also claimed that the case was illegally foisted upon him by the Chikkamangaluru Rural police. The police had named 14 persons in the charge sheet and Khandya was named as accused number four.

In January last, Khandya was arrested by the police after it slapped charges under the Goonda Act for his alleged involvement in 33 criminal cases but he was granted bail.