BENGALURU: It is perceived that the application was filed only to drag on the matter. Lokayukta Special Court rejected the application filed by the then Chief General Manager, Mysore Minerals Limited B T Lakshman who sought to discharge him from the corruption case.
In the discharge application, Lakshman claimed that prosecution had not obtained necessary sanction as per the amendment of Prevention of Corruption Act and hence he urged the court to discharge him. In counter, Special Public Prosecutor filed objections that the accused had retired at the time of filing charge sheet.
On hearing both the parties, Lokayukta Special Court Judge R N Sachin Kaushik said this case is about 10 years old and five witnesses have already been examined and 108 documents from the prosecution have been marked. The amended Section 19(1)(b) of Prevention of Corruption Act came into effect on July 26, 2018. The accused, up to March 8, 2019, never uttered a single word over the applicability of the said Section. In addition, amended Section 4 of the Act, also mandates that the trial should be concluded in two years.
As such, even this makes it clear that amended Section is not applicable to cases, where trial has already commenced. Hence, for all these reasons, this Court finds that the application is filed only to drag on the matter because of some alleged ulterior motive. Therefore, the application is rejected, the Judge said while pointing out that a similar application of the accused was rejected by this Court on July 2, 2018. According to the prosecution, Lakshman, who was working as Chief General Manager of Mysore Minerals Limited, Bengaluru between January 1, 1983, and April 6, 2006, has made total assets of Rs 1.98 crore and spent Rs 28.31 lakh.
The total assets and expenditure comes to Rs 2.26 crore. His total income from all sources is Rs 1.67 crore and disproportionate assets comes to Rs 59.54 lakh which is 35.58 per cent.