Chief Judicial Magistrate Jyoti Shantappa Kale granted bail to actor Prakash Raj on July 10 in Bengaluru.
The case involves allegations of multiple voter registrations across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Prakash Raj is accused of omitting these multiple voter registrations from his official election affidavit for the Bengaluru Central constituency.
Prakash Raj voter ID case: A Bengaluru court granted bail to actor Prakash Raj on July 10 over allegations of voter registration discrepancies during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Chief Judicial Magistrate Jyoti Shantappa Kale granted the bail.
Raj is accused of being registered to vote in multiple states during the elections and of omitting this detail from his official affidavit. The court took cognisance of the matter on August 1, 2025, under Sections 31 and 125A of the Representation of the People Act, clearing the case to go to trial, Bar and Bench reported.
Bengaluru court grants bail to Prakash Raj
Raj appeared in court voluntarily on Friday (July 10). A non-bailable warrant was previously issued against him because a court summons could not be delivered.
The actor has to pay a ₹4,000 security deposit and attend all future court hearings. Lawyer Nagarjuna confirmed that Raj has surrendered his Tamil Nadu voter ID.
"He never actually received the warrant and only learned about the legal proceedings from the news," Nagarjuna said.
The charges against Raj are non-cognisable, complainant's lawyer Dharmapal said. After hearing from both sides, the judge agreed to grant bail.
Prakash Raj multiple voter ID controversy explained
The case started when Bengaluru resident K Dileep Kumar filed a complaint. Raj contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Bengaluru Central as an independent candidate.
Raj's affidavit declared his voter registration in Bengaluru's Shantinagar Assembly constituency. Kumar alleged Raj was simultaneously registered in Velachery, with two entries in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and Serilingampally, with one entry in Telangana.
Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of the People Act prohibit multi-constituency registration. Section 31 covers false declarations and Section 125A covers false affidavits.
The complainant testified and submitted seven documents to the court. These included Raj's 2019 election affidavits and voter records from Velachery and Serilingampally.
The judge reviewed the evidence and noted Raj appeared to be on three different voter lists in 2019.
The court ruled there was sufficient evidence to proceed with charges under Sections 31 and 125A of the Representation of the People Act.
