Bangalore, June 24 (PTI) : In a reprieve for Hartal Halappa, the Karnataka High Court today granted conditional bail to the former minister arrested on charges of rape. 

Allowing his plea, Justice Subash B Adi directed Halappa to furnish a security of Rs one lakh and two sureties for the like sum.The court also ordered that Halappa should report to the police station once every 15 days and not to leave the jurisdiction of the court.

Halappa, facing charges of raping his friend's wife last November in Shimoga, surrendered before CID police on May 9 after his bail plea was rejected by a sessions court at Shimoga.

Since then he has remained in judicial custody, albeit in a hospital in the city for treatment of ailments like blood pressure and stress.

His friend's wife had alleged that the minister had raped her at their house after sending her husband away on some pretext.Halappa resigned from the B S Yeddyurappa ministry after the allegations surfaced against him.In his petition, Halappa had contended that the complaint was filed at the behest of political adversaries with the intention of tarnishing his political image and personal life.