Special judge Vishwanath C Gowdar denied bail to Raju, who has been in judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison since his arrest on March 8.
The bail hearing for the primary accused, Ranya, has been rescheduled to Friday by a sessions court. Previously, the special court had rejected her bail application, citing concerns about the 'impact on national economy'. Following this decision, Ranya's legal representative approached the sessions court for bail consideration.
During Wednesday's proceedings, public prosecutor Madhu Rao requested additional time to submit objections. Subsequently, the court adjourned the matter until March 21.
With the gold smuggling racket involving Sandalwood actor Ranya Rao becoming increasingly intricate whilst three central investigation agencies delve deeper, the state government mandated senior IPS officer and director general of police (Karnataka Police Housing Corporation) K Ramachandra Rao to proceed on 'compulsory leave'.
The scrutiny intensified on Ramachandra after his daughter Ranya was apprehended at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on March 3 whilst attempting to smuggle 14.2 kg of gold from Dubai.