The Advocates' Association, Bengaluru, has expressed concern over the quick posting of the interim anticipatory bail application of BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa, facing charges of collecting bribes through his son Prashanth Kumar M V.
The MLA, who resigned as the chairperson of the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), was granted anticipatory bail by the High Court on Tuesday.
The Lokayukta has named Virupakshappa as the accused number one after his son Prashanth, who is chief accounts officer in the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage, was caught red-handed while allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 40 lakh last Thursday.
Subsequent raids led to the recovery of Rs 8.23 crore cash, besides the discovery of gold ornaments, silver, and land investment details.
In a letter to the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, the association led by its president Vivek Subba Reddy and general secretary T G Ravi also highlighted that justice should be equal to all.
"The usual practice in the High Court of Karnataka is that new matters like anticipatory bail take several days and weeks for posting but VIP matters are entertained overnight," the association said in their letter.
Stating that this practice would lead to the common man losing faith in the judicial system, the association pointed out that an MLA should also be treated as a common man.
The association also appealed to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court to direct the registry to post all the anticipatory bail matters in one day, "so that the common man is treated as a VIP."
"It is essential that the temple of justice should be equal to all and any VIP must have to wait just as the common man and in this regard, the Advocates' Association, Bengaluru expresses serious shock and concern over the matter," the lawyers' body said.