Mohammed Nalapad Haris, former general secretary of the Bengaluru city Youth Congress and son of Congress MLA NA Haris, has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days for brutally assaulting a man in Bengaluru.
His associates too have been remanded to judicial custody until March 7.
The District Sessions Court will hear Nalapad’s bail plea on February 23.
On Wednesday morning, Nalapad filed for bail. In his application, he said that invoking IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) was not right. His plea added that the section was added due to his political connections.
Nalapad surrendered before police officials at the Cubbon Park police station on Monday after he was charged with assaulting a youth in a cafe at the heart of the city.
According to the FIR, Praveen Venkatachalaiah and his friend Vidvat (24) had gone to Farzi Cafe on Saturday night for dinner, when a fight broke out.
Nalapad had asked Vidvat not to stretch his legs in the café. But Vidvat argued that he had injured his legs and therefore had to stretch them.
Nalapad later called his henchman and they allegedly brutally assaulted Vidvat. Currently, Vidvat is recovering at Mallya Hospital.
His associates were arrested on Sunday, but Nalapad could not be traced. He finally surrendered on Monday morning before the Cubbon Park police.
Initially, the police did not register an FIR under section 307. It was added on Monday night.
A scuffle broke out at the Cubbon Park police station on Monday between Nalapad's supporters and the journalists covering his arrest.
The case has been under massive media and public scrutiny with the Karnataka Assembly elections around the corner.
BJP and AAP supporters hit the streets soon after news broke of the incident, demanding that Nalapad be booked for attempt to murder too.
In the fall out of the incident, Nalapad was sacked from his position of Bengaluru Congress Youth President and also lost his primary membership for six years.
Meanwhile, in a counter complaint filed by Arun Babu, an associate of Nalapad, accused Vidvat, who was reportedly drunk, of initiating the assault.
However, doctors at the Mallya hospital rubbished these claims and confirmed that the victim was sober. "I was there along with Dr Veda, who was the Chief Medical Officer. He (Vidvat) was conscious, alert. There were no signs of drowsiness or restlessness and he was not under the influence of alcohol. There was swelling on his face due to a nasal bone fracture and he also had injuries on his rib. There is no doubt he was grievously injured," Dr Humera told TNM.