The Lokayukta police have filed FIRs against three former Karnataka chief ministers HD Deve Gowda, SM Krishna, BS Yeddyurappa and 27 others for alleged irregularities in the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project on a complaint lodged by TJ Abraham, an activist, on Saturday. The others against whom the FIRs have been filed are PWD Minister CM Udasi, former ministers DK Shivakumar and RV Deshpande and managing director of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) Ashok Kheny.
IAS officers against whom the complaint has been filed are Subhir Hari Singh, GV Kongawad, BS Patil, T Sham Bhat, Vijay Gore and MB Dayaberi.
According to Additional Director General of Police-Lokayukta HN Satyanarayana Rao, the probe order given by the Lokayukta Court in October was voluminous hence the filing of the FIRs took some time. The accused have been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC. Of the 105 accused, 75 have been excluded from investigation. Complaint Abraham has alleged that the accused have been involved in a land scam where 5,972 acres, valued at Rs 17,916 crore were looted.
An MoU for the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project was signed in 1995 between the state government and NICE, when Deve Gowda was the chief minister, for the construction of a road between Bangalore and Mysore. On October 25, the Lokyukta Court had directed the Lokayukta ADGP to conduct an investigation under 156(3) CrPC against all the accused. The Lokayukta court has further directed that a wing be constituted of four Deputy Superintendents of Police to investigate the matter.