Karnataka's former minister and four-time MLA Byrathi Basavaraj was arrested on February 12 by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the murder case of realtor V G Shivaprakash alias Bikla Shiva. The killing occurred on July 15, 2025, stemming from a land dispute. Basavaraj faces allegations of running a parallel administration in the real estate sector.
Byrathi Basavaraj, a 64-year-old BJP MLA who turned east Bengaluru's real estate into his domain, was arrested on February 12 upon returning from Ahmedabad. The Supreme Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea on February 12, following the Karnataka High Court's rejection and cancellation of interim protection on February 10.
The murder case dates to July 15, 2025, when Bikla Shiva was killed outside his home on Meanee Avenue. It arose from a dispute over 12 gunta of land in Kithaganur village, where values have surged to Rs 20 crore per acre due to a new ring road. The CID informed a special court that Basavaraj supported accused numbers 1 and 20 in their real estate business and provided protection to supporters with criminal backgrounds.
Prime accused Jagadish P alias Jaga, 45, and A G Ajeeth Kumar, 48, are former gangsters from east Bengaluru. Basavaraj initially denied ties to Jaga, but photographs emerged showing them together at birthday parties, private functions, and the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage in February 2025, when the conspiracy allegedly formed.
Shiva filed complaints in early 2025 about threats from the MLA and associates, but no action followed. In March 2025, Shiva was briefly jailed for bond violation after alleged pressure from Basavaraj on police. Basavaraj began as a K R Pura councillor in 2008, won his first MLA seat in 2013 on a Congress ticket, switched to BJP in 2019, and served as urban development minister under B S Yediyurappa. He secured a fourth term in 2023. His assets grew from Rs 46 crore in 2013 to Rs 122 crore in 2023, with Rs 85 crore in real estate.