Tabloid editor Belagere remanded to 14-day judicial custody

The editor of a leading Kannada tabloid, Ravi Belagere, who was arrested for allegedly hiring a contract killer to eliminate one of his colleagues, was remanded to a 14-day judicial custody by a court here today.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jagadish passed the order when Belagere was produced before the court.
On December 8, the court had remanded him to a four-day police custody.
The magistrate did not entertain Belagare's plea today, seeking bail for not keeping well.
He, however, directed the police to provide a proper medical treatment to Belagere at the Parapanna Agrahara Central Prison.
Belagere was arrested from his house here on December 8 on charges of hiring a "supari" (contract) killer from Vijayapura in north Karnataka to kill Sunil Heggaravalli.

He was produced before a magistrate at the latter's residence on December 8 and remanded to police custody.

The police got the lead into the alleged plot to kill Heggaravalli when contract killer Shashidhar Mundewadi was quizzed in connection with the probe into the killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead in front of her house here by unidentified assailants on September 5.
Based on the inputs, Belagare was arrested and a pistol and a double barrel gun were seized from his possession.
Belagere was in news after the Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed a resolution sentencing him and Anil Raju, the editor of tabloid 'Yelahanka Voice', to one year in jail.

A fine of Rs 10,000 each was also imposed on the two journalists for their alleged defamatory articles against state legislators.
The Assembly had recently rejected a plea by both the journalists to reconsider its decision.
On a petition by the journalists, the Karnataka High Court had earlier this week directed the Assembly not to pursue the proceedings against them until further orders.