The Supreme Court has withdrawn anticipatory bail granted to IPS officer Srinath Joshi Mahadev, who is facing allegations of involvement in an extortion racket linked to the Karnataka Lokayukta Police. The officer has been directed to surrender within three weeks.
While overturning the Karnataka High Court’s decision, a Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva pointed to what it described as a striking contradiction: an officer serving in an institution established to fight corruption was himself facing accusations of corrupt practices.
The Bench observed that the Lokayukta was created to tackle corruption, making allegations of an officer’s involvement in such activities particularly serious and deserving of closer examination.
The Supreme Court passed its order on October 29 while hearing an appeal filed by the Lokayukta Police against the High Court’s September 2025 decision granting Mahadev protection from arrest.
The judges said the evidence gathered during the investigation required further scrutiny and that the High Court had acted prematurely by ruling out the possibility of custodial interrogation.
The Court also made it clear that Mahadev would have to surrender within three weeks. However, he would retain the right to approach the appropriate forum for regular bail in accordance with the law.
The Bench took note of Mahadev’s position as a senior police officer, pointing out that he held the rank of Superintendent of Police. It said allegations involving misuse of official authority by someone in such a position could not be viewed in the same manner as claims involving an ordinary individual seeking protection from arrest.
How the alleged extortion network came under investigation
The case stems from an FIR registered in June 2025 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the allegations, Ningappa Savantha, a police constable who had been dismissed from service over unauthorised absence, allegedly impersonated an official attached to the Lokayukta office. He was accused of demanding money from public servants by threatening them with action.
Although Mahadev was not named in the initial FIR, investigators subsequently brought him into the case following disclosures made by Savantha.
The prosecution had alleged that the two men were in contact and that Savantha regularly visited the Lokayukta office to meet the IPS officer.
Mahadev’s anticipatory bail application had already been rejected twice by the trial court, first in June and again in July 2025. He subsequently approached the Karnataka High Court, which granted him protection.
The High Court had relied on the fact that Mahadev appeared before the investigating officer after receiving a notice and had not been arrested, concluding that there was no immediate reason to believe he would face arrest.
Damaged phones raise questions over investigation
Another significant aspect highlighted before the Supreme Court concerned two mobile phones seized from Mahadev.
The prosecution informed the Bench that both devices had been tampered with and extensively damaged. Their forensic examination was still pending when the High Court granted anticipatory bail.
Taking these circumstances into account, the Supreme Court concluded that the investigation required a more thorough examination and that the possibility of custodial questioning should not have been ruled out at that stage.
With its latest decision, the Supreme Court has reversed the relief granted by the High Court, bringing Mahadev’s anticipatory bail protection to an end.