Bengaluru, 23 Dec

The Karnataka CID’s SIT has filed a chargesheet in the rowdy Biklu Shiva murder case, naming 18 accused in the case, barring BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, who had been named in the FIR as an accused.

The chargesheet submitted in a city court here on Monday pertains to the July 15 killing of VG Shivaprakash alias Biklu Shiva, 40, and comes days after the Karnataka High Court set aside the invocation of the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) in the matter.

Shiva was hacked to death at Bharathi Nagar in the city. Investigators said the murder was triggered by a long-simmering property dispute dating back to February 2025 in the Kithaganur area.

The FIR had named BJP MLA Basavaraj as accused number five, while gangster Jagadish Padmanabha alias Jaga, 45, was listed as the prime accused.

Jaga’s alleged associates Vimal Raj, Kiran Krishna, Madan K and Pradeep K were also listed as accused. However, the MLA has not been named in the chargesheet, with the SIT stating that the investigation against him is going on.

On 16 July, a day after the murder, five men, Kiran Krishna, Pradeep, Vimal Raj, Madan K and Samuel Victor surrendered before the police, claiming to have taken part in the crime. The probe was later transferred to the CID’s SIT due to the seriousness of the allegations.

Police said the conspiracy took shape after a property claimant named Ravi alleged that Shiva had illegally built a wall around the four sites.