BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition filed by BJP MLA and CM’s political secretary MP Renukacharya, questioning the case registered by Lokayukta police under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC, in relation to disproportionate assets.
Turning down Renukacharya’s arguments of multiple FIRs on the same subject, Justice K Natarajan dismissed his petition. “When the Lokayukta has already received a complaint and registered an FIR, the question of going back to sessions judge to file a complaint under Section 200 CrPC and referring the complaint under Section 156(3) of CrPC does not arise,” the court said.
After the HC quashed an FIR registered in April 2015 for not following procedure based on a private complaint, Brashtachara Virodi Vedike president Gurupadaiah registered an FIR on November 30, 2015, before the Davanagere Lokayukta police, alleging that Renukacharya had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income when he was MLA from 2004 to 2008, and cabinet minister from 2009 to 2013. Lokayukta police are awaiting sanction from the government to file a chargesheet.
According to the complaint, in 2004, when Renukacharya had filed his nomination papers to contest from Honnalli, he declared his assets as Rs 26.07 lakh, and for the 2008 election, his assets were Rs 73.97 lakh. In 2013, his assets were worth Rs 4.95 crore. It was alleged that there was a rise in income and assets during his tenure as minister.