BENGALURU: Days after he helped nab an engineer carrying unaccounted money, K Parashuram, Lokayukta Superintendent of Police, Dharwad, has received marching orders.
The timing of his transfer is being met with raised eyebrows, although he played it down, saying he had requested out.
Parashuram (38), who joined service as Deputy Superintendent of Police in 2004, is known to be upright, and has recently been responsible for big hauls.
The government had similarly transferred B A Mahesh, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru, Lokayukta, soon after he raided the house of Congress MLA Munirathna Naidu at Vyalikaval, where investigators found hundreds of files relating to BBMP works.
H N Satyanarayana Rao, the then Additional Director-General of Police, Lokayukta, was also transferred out when he was in the middle of important cases.
Information provided by Parashuram had resulted in the seizure of `36.85 lakh, being carried in a car by PWD Superintending Engineer Chandrashekar Eligar.
Eligar, attached to the Dharwad Circle, was caught at Chitradurga on May 7 when he was on his way to Bengaluru to attend a review meeting chaired by the principal secretary, PWD.
On April 9 and 10 this year, Parashuram had also seized `1.54 crore from the house of Arjuna Hanumantha Badiger, executive engineer, Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Division, Dharwad. That is the highest amount ever seized at one go by the Lokayukta police, a source said.
Parashuram has now been posted as Additional Superintendent of Police, Chitradurga. The transfer order was issued on Wednesday. “It is very unfortunate,” said a senior police officer.
Sources in the Lokayukta told Express the government had no authority to transfer Lokayukta police officials without first consulting Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao. This will set a bad precedent, a senior policeman told Express.
Former Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde said the government had adopted a similar attitude towards Sathyanarayana Rao and Dr Mahesh.
“Such actions weaken the institution. Transferring police officers involved in important investigations is not right as it hampers investigations,” he said.
He urged the government to consult the Lokayukta before transferring any of its officers. “If that is not done, the Lokayukta should refuse to relieve them,” he said.
If officers face serious charges, the Lokayukta should allow transfers. Otherwise, he should protest, Hegde urged.
‘Need Time To React’
Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao asked this reporter to call back after two days so that he could check the facts.
Meanwhile, Home Minister K J George said consultation of the Lokayukta was mandatory to transfer senior police officers, but not necessary for the rank of superintendent of police.
He later said Omprakash, Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, had consulted Lokayukta Additional Director-General of Police Prem Shankar Meena before transferring Parashuram.
“We cannot assume the officer posted in place of the transferred officer will not exhibit the same efficiency. The transfer was made only for administrative reasons,” he said. Parashuram told Express the reason for his transfer was personal, and he had requested the Home Department to move him out of Dharwad.