BENGALURU: Orally observing that no officer will be safe if complaints are filed against them for discharging official duties, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday stayed further investigation into the case registered by a social welfare department official against two officers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He accused them of forcing him to name Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others, in connection with the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation scam.
Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the interim order staying the probe, after hearing the petition filed by Deputy Director Manoj Mittal and Assistant Director Murali Kannan of the ED, questioning the legality of the crime registered against them by B Kallesh, additional director, social welfare department, with Wilson Garden police, charging them with criminal intimidation and breach of trust.
The court noted that if the crime happened without registration of the case by ED, the contention of the Advocate-General (AG) would have merited complete acceptance. The case is registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and the ED has taken steps to investigate the complainant. The court asked ED to produce details of the probe and file objections on August 21, the next date of hearing.
UBI moves HC, seeking CBI probe
Union Bank of India approached the Karnataka High Court, asking it to direct the state government to transfer the case on the alleged scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation, to the CBI, considering the volume of the alleged fraud. Hearing the petition, Justice M Nagaprasanna issued a notice to the state government, DG&IGP and the CBI, which is authorised to probe any case with a fraud of over Rs 25 crore and with inter-state ramifications.