Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], December 20 : Advocate MB Jiragi, representing BJP leader CT Ravi, claimed on Friday that despite the BJP leader being arrested under sections 75 and 79 of the BNS, the police have not officially recorded his arrest or presented him before a magistrate, which is a legal requirement.
"CT Ravi has been arrested under sections 75 and 79 of BNS. He has been arrested physically. But so far, we have not been confirmed on record that he has been arrested. De facto, the Karnataka police have already taken him into custody. They took him to various places last night... So far, they have not produced him before the court of law," Jiragi said.
The lawyer stressed that under the law, Ravi must be presented before a magistrate within a reasonable time, which has not happened yet. "It is mandated under the law that a person who has been arrested must be produced before the nearest magistrate within a reasonable time. Unfortunately, this has not happened. So far, we don't know at what time they will produce him before the court," he added.
Jiragi also revealed that the legal team had already prepared a bail application but faced difficulty in meeting Ravi. "They are not permitting lawyers to meet CT Ravi. He has been secluded completely; we don't know where exactly he has been taken."
Karnataka BJP MLA Abhay Patil accused the Congress government of turning the Karnataka Assembly into a source of conflict, claiming that an attempt on CT Ravi's life inside Vidhana Soudha had been made, and further alleged police involvement.
"The Congress government has turned the Karnataka Assembly into a tool for generating problems. A murder attempt was made on 4-time MLA CT Ravi yesterday, inside Vidhana Soudha. A few goons from the Congress came and attempted to manhandle and murder him. The police too had a hand in this. This is a very serious matter... The Congress government in Karnataka is a 'Tughlaqi government' and is resorting to hooliganism. I urge the central government to take note of this and take action," the BJP MLA said.
Earlier in the day, BJP leader CT Ravi was brought to the district court by Belagavi police, where he will be produced. Before being taken to court, CT Ravi underwent a medical checkup at the Mutag Health Center in Belagavi. An FIR was filed against him following a complaint made by Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar over alleged derogatory remarks made by Ravi about the Congress leader.