Bengaluru, (DHNS): Ravi Belagere, editor of Kannada weekly 'Hi Bengaluru' was, on Monday remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.

He has been charged with giving 'supari' (contract) for killing one of his employees and journalist Sunil Heggaravalli. Belagere was arrested on December 8 from his office-cum-house in Padmanabhanmagar by sleuths of the Central Crime Branch. He is in police custody for the last four days.

He was produced before the first additional chief metropolitan magistrate in the morning. After hearing both the sides, the judge remanded Belagere in judicial custody till December 24.

Prior to the order, K Divakar, the advocate representing Belagere, submitted to the court that his health condition was very poor, he was under medication and appealed for bail.

After the court remanded him in judicial custody, Divakar pleaded the court to pass directions to the prison authorities to provide all medical assistance to him.

The public prosecutor, who filed an application objecting to the bail plea, argued that Belagere had written many articles on underworld gangsters and he had close links with them.

There are chances of Belagere destroying evidence and eliminating people related to this case using his underworld links.

Investigation revealed that he had given his licensed revolver to a sharpshooter to kill Heggaravalli, he submitted. To carry out the 'supari', he was in possession of illegal arms and appealed to the court not to grant him bail.

He also told the court that the CCB police seized an iphone and a tab from the suspect and sent them, along with the revolver and double barrel gun, to the forensic lab to check whether these weapons were used in any crimes in the past.

Belagere's daughter Chethana and son Karna were present in the court during the hearing and they accompanied him till he reached the Parappana Agrahara central prison.

The editor's advocate is likely to file a bail application before the sessions court on Tuesday.