Lokayukta's Son Cries Foul, Gives Alibi

Yerabati Ashwin says it is a conspiracy to defame his father Y Bhaskar Rao; promises cooperation to probe agency, confident of clearing name.

Published: 01st July 2015 04:16 AM  |   Last Updated: 01st July 2015 04:17 AM   |  A+A-

BENGALURU: Yerabati Ashwin, in the news for his alleged involvement in an extortion racket at the Karnataka Lokayukta, believes someone is out to defame his father Lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao.

Alibi.jpgFor the first time, Ashwin — his official name does not have the Rao suffix — has come out to defend himself as the furore threatens to cost his father the Lokayukta’s job.

“I think people who will benefit from my father’s resignation are behind these false allegations,” he told Express.

An engineer called Krishna Murthy has alleged he was called to the Lokayukta’s office and asked to pay `1 crore to escape a raid. Ashwin was allegedly one of the ‘agents’ who negotiated with him.

On the days mentioned by the investigators, Ashwin says he was at the US consulate in Hyderabad, seeking a visa.

Alibi1.jpgThe soft-spoken Ashwin (46) is confident he will clear his name. On Tuesday, he met Lokayukta IGP Pranab Mohanty and submitted documents to support his claim that he was in Hyderabad when the alleged extortion was attempted. “I am willing to cooperate with the investigation. When I have not done anything wrong, why should I be worried?” he said.  

Rao is not putting in his papers, Ashwin said, describing his father as “a strong wall that may shake, but will never fall”.

Ashwin said he had no idea about the identity of Krishna Rao, the agent who had claimed to be the Lokayukta’s secretary and demanded money from officials.On Leave

Lokayukta PRO Syed Riyaz, also under a cloud, and Registrar H R Deshpande have applied for leave from Wednesday, a source said.

Alibi2.jpgCar Seva

Ashwin, an electronics and communication engineer, is a resident of Hyderabad, and runs a car restoration business. He owns 25 vintage cars, including a 1928-model Chevrolet. “I come to Bengaluru once in two or three months to see my parents. I hardly know anyone here,” he told Express.

Narang Sought My Help, claims Ashwin

Ashwin claimed Lokayukta SP Sonia Narang had sought his help to get a posting in the anti-corruption agency. “She met me thrice and all meetings were at the Lokayukta’s official residence. Once, she had come with one Narasimha Murthy and twice, she was accompanied by her husband,” he said.

When contacted, Narang  admitted the meetings took place at the Lokayukta’s residence in September and October 2014. “I did not go there on my own. In fact, I got a call that the Lokayukta would like to see me. When I went there, the Lokayukta was not around. Ashwin asked me if I would like to be posted in the Lokayukta. I said I was willing to work wherever the government posted me,” she said. She fears attempts are being made to discourage her as she is proceeding with the investigation.

A policeman said Ashwin’s charge is “only meant to divert attention from the issue of in-house corruption that Narang is looking into”.


India Matters

Comments

Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress.com editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines.

The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress.com or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The New Indian Express Group, or any entity of, or affiliated with, The New Indian Express Group. newindianexpress.com reserves the right to take any or all comments down at any time.

flipboard facebook twitter whatsapp