Overview
- Special Court remanded Lamani to judicial custody until March 3 and he was lodged at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, with his two aides also sent to judicial custody.
- Lokayukta police say the MLA was caught on February 21 at Balaji Hospital in Laxmeshwar while allegedly taking ₹5 lakh, and his aides Manjunath Valmiki and Guru Naik were detained.
- A case is registered under Section 7(a) read with Section 7(A) of the Prevention of Corruption Act after officials recovered ₹4.5 lakh inside the hospital and retrieved ₹50,000 an aide allegedly tried to discard.
- The trap followed a complaint by Class‑I contractor Vijay Pujar, who alleged an ₹11 lakh commission demand linked to retaining wall works under the Minor Irrigation Department.
- Political reactions intensified as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticized the BJP, Union minister Pralhad Joshi called the episode embarrassing, V Somanna suggested a possible conspiracy yet termed the conduct unacceptable, and an unverified audio clip circulated online.