BENGALURU: The investigation officer (IO) of the Anti-Corruption Bureau - now Karnataka Lokayukta, probing corruption charges in the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) is found to have converted the accused officials into witnesses in the chargesheet, though lakhs of rupees were found in their custody.
“The IO has cleverly ignored the allegations of corrupt activities faced by the KIADB officials and the huge amount found unofficially in their possession. In other words, his efforts to protect the KIADB officials stand substantiated by his acts of giving a clean chit to them and declining to collect the crime-related evidence," said Judge KM Radhakrishna, acquitting eight private persons.
"After giving the clean chit to the corrupt officials of the KIADB, the IO has for the namesake chargesheeted only the private persons in respect of offences punishable under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 7(A) of the Prevention of Corruption Act,” the judge added.
The judge said KIADB is known for corruption. The general public, particularly farmers who lose their lands and approach for compensation, are becoming real victims of officials.
“I think this is the right time for the concerned to take necessary and stringent action against the erring officials to put an end to the anarchy that prevailed and render true service to the needy people,” the judge said, while marking the copy of the judgment to the KIADB CEO for necessary action.
During the ACB raid on 2019, SLAO-2 Poornima was found with Rs 3.50 lakh, Assistant Secretary J Ravindra Rs 10,100, SLAO-2 (PW4) Rs 3,000, FDA Prakash P Rs 5,410, Superintendent V Shivaramaiah Rs 4,000, SLAO-1’s Assistant Madhuchandra Rs 6,200, contract employee Janardhan Rao Rs 11,000, Senior Assistant Geetha Rs 7,900, Office Superintendent Sanjeeva Yallappa Uppar Rs 5,410 and Senior Assistant L Srinivasa Rs 67,420.
But the chargesheet filed by IO C Balakrishna disclosed nothing against the KIADB officials. The IO also did not indicate them as accused, though over Rs 6 lakh unofficial cash, which was not declared in the cash declaration register, was found in their possession, the judge said.
The judge, finding it to be a shoddy probe and seeking an explanation from the IO, issued a show-cause notice to him as to why disciplinary action should not be recommended against him for serious lapses in the investigation.
The judge marked a copy of the judgment to the Lokayukta for information and to the head of the Lokayukta police wing to sensitise officers under him.
The court acquitted Siddagangappa, Siddarangappa M, Renukeshwara YS, Devaraju KH, Naveen Kumar N, Jagadeesh M, Sameer Pasha and Keshava, who acted as middlemen to get the compensation from KIADB to farmers for commission. The accused, in collusion with KIADB officers, approached farmers in Nelamangala taluk who were waiting for compensation against the acquisition of their land.
Assuring the farmers that they would get the compensation released soon for a commission, the accused took signed blank cheques and other documents, including the agreements, from the farmers as a security towards the commission amount. They later took commission from various farmers, falsely claiming that the compensation was paid because of their efforts.