BENGALURU: The availability of several vehicle Registration Certificates (RCs) and Driving Licences (DLs) with private persons on the Regional Transport Office (RTO) premises in Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru East, has taken a serious turn with a First Information Report (FIR) being registered by Ramamurthy Nagar police against three persons, based on a complaint filed by Lokayukta police.
The accused are Rajinikantha and Manoj Kumar of Maruthi Motors Auto Consultants, and Prashanth of Shreyas Driving School. They have been booked under BNS provisions for criminal breach of trust in furtherance of a common intention.
However, no RTO officials were made accused in the FIR as no names were mentioned in the complaint filed by Lokayukta police, even after Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa directed the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Lokayukta to register a criminal case against the RTO, ARTO and Superintendent. Lokayukta police have only requested police to take action against RTOs who have joined hands with the three accused mentioned in the complaint.
When a team led by Justice Veerappa paid a surprise visit to the RTO in Kasturi Nagar, 49 RCs and 83 DLs were found in a shop in front of the RTO. On most of the cards, ‘Rs 1,500’, ‘Rs 2,000’, ‘Rs 3,500’ and ‘Rs 5,000’ were found written. On a few, check marks were found.
The shop in which the RCs and DLs were found is Maruthi Motors Private Limited, belonging to Rajinikantha. The accused informed police that they had obtained the RCs and DLs from an official on the second floor of the RTO.
Justice Veerappa also visited the RTO in KR Puram, while Lokayukta Justice BS Patil visited the RTOs in Yeshwanthpur and Rajajinagar, where 2,095 DLs were pending for printing, and 789 were kept pending for disbursement. In Rajajinagar RTO, the Lokayukta found 3,800 DLs and 6,300 RC Smart Cards pending for printing.
Upa Lokayukta Justice KN Phaneendra visited the RTO in Jayanagar, where 1,300 RCs were found returned without being delivered to the cardholders by post. No efforts are made to deliver them.
In the Yelahanka RTO, Justice Phaneendra found that no steps were taken against 1,200 vehicles plying without payment of tax.