Bengaluru’s legal corridors echoed with relief for Congress leader Satish Sail as the Karnataka High Court approved his medical bail Thursday. Jailed over money laundering allegations, the Karwar MLA can now proceed with life-saving liver transplantation.
Judicial directives are crystal clear. Bi-weekly updates on the transplant process are mandatory, coupled with health status reports every two months directly to the court. Tampering with evidence or witnesses is strictly prohibited, ensuring the trial remains unhindered.
Sail must deposit a Rs 5 lakh bond backed by personal security, a safeguard against flight risk or mischief.
Flashback to the ED’s aggressive pursuit: Arrested on September 9, 2025, mid-interrogation in Bengaluru, Sail faced charges tied to laundering proceeds from unlawful iron ore shipments.
The crackdown intensified with raids across multiple cities—Karwar, Goa, Mumbai, Delhi—on August 13-14, 2025. Troves of cash, gold bullion, and ornaments surfaced, alongside incriminating papers, all secured in dual trunks.
Marking him as the third Congress MLA in central agency crosshairs, Sail joins KC Virendra and Vinay Kulkarni in this notorious list.
His ordeal escalated from a 2010 Belakeri iron ore scam. A special court slammed a seven-year term and Rs 44 crore penalty on October 26, 2024, across six counts. Named co-accused in CBI’s charge sheet, Sail’s fortunes shifted with a High Court stay on December 21, 2024.
That stay halted bypolls in Karwar pending appeal outcome and sidelined him from legislative duties, only for ED to swoop in on fresh laundering accusations.
As Sail navigates surgery, the case spotlights how medical exigencies intersect with accountability, with the court vigilantly threading the needle between compassion and caution.