Karnataka Lokayukta corruption case: Bhaskar Rao on leave may help investigators
Bengaluru: Though the recent move by the Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao to go on a long leave has upset some activists and advocates, many see it as a ‘blessing in disguise’ as they feel that if he were present he would have interfered with the investigation.
“I think it’s a very good development that the Lokayukta has gone on leave till Aug 15, because both the print and electronic media had widely reported that he was taking away important files, records and documents to undisclosed locations,” said S.R. Hiremath. “This is an extremely serious matter because one can tamper, alter, or destroy, the crucial documents that will affect the investigation and further the prosecution,” the social activist added.
Moreover Justice Rao’s presence at the Lokayukta office will only hamper the investigations being carried out by the SIT, said another activist. Meanwhile, members of the Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS) submitted a petition for initiating action to prevent destruction of files that have been taken away from the Lokayukta’s office by Justice Rao. “Either the Lokayukta police chief, ADGP Prem Shankar Meena or the SIT officials should conduct a rigorous investigation into the section of files that have been removed from the Lokayukta office, said Hiremath.
Some activists said it was wrong on part of Justice Rao to go on leave and it will have a negative impact on the credibility of the institution. “As Lokayukta’s son is an accused in a case of criminal extortion at the very office, the head of the watchdog institution should have ideally resigned. But he went on a leave. In such a state, why should the state government pay him salary from the tax payer’s money? If you take into consideration the conduct of the Lokayukta, who is shielding his corrupt son, it points to the fact that the Lokayukta may also be involved in the racket,” Justice Chandrashekariah told Deccan Chronicle.
“I am told that - even though while he is on leave, he is continuing to discharge his duties from his home, therefore the state government should take necessary steps to stop him from doing so,” Justice Chandrashekariah added.
SIT carries out spot inspections
The Special Investigation Team investigating into the in-house corruption and extortion case in the Lokayukta on Wednesday conducted Mahajar (spot inspections) at few of the star hotels in the city, where the alleged deals, negotiations and extortions had taken place based on the statements retrieved from the accused realtor Ashok Kumar, who was arrested first in this case.
The SIT is in the process of recording detailed statements from the prime accused Yerrabati Ashwin, son of Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao, and the co-accused PRO & Joint Commissioner of Police Syed Riyazathullah along with others, RTI activist Shankare Gowda, and TV journalist Srinivas Gowda who all are currently in the SIT’s custody.
DIG Soumendu Mukherjee and DCP West Division Labhu Ram under the guidance of ADGP Kamal Pant, who is heading the SIT, have intensified the investigations into nabbing the other accused in the case namely V. Bhaskar and Hotte Krishna and others.
“Based on the statements retrieved so far from the first arrested accused Ashok Kumar, spot inspections were carried out visiting few star hotels in the city,” said DCP Labhu Ram. The same will follow for the other three accused as well after their detailed statements from them are retrieved.
According to the investigations so far, both Yerrabatti Ashwin and realtor Ashok Kumar had met several government officials at star hotels for negotiating the deals. The SIT is also verifying the CCTV footages from these star hotels. SIT officials are also verifying the call detail records of Ashwin and others to establish the claims that they have made in their statement recordings.
Multiple teams have been formed by the SIT, who are working round-the-clock to corroborate details of the statements retrieved from the accused and reporting to their seniors on hourly basis and special teams have been formed to nab the culprits who are at large, said a senior police officer.
At present, the SIT is focusing on two cases – Crime No. 56 and Crime No. 58, filed by PWD Engineer Krishnamurthy and Executive Engineer Channabasappa respectively. “In both the cases, there have been no evidences on money being exchanged, and it is not mandatory that money need to be exchanged in such cases where other vital clues that we have procured will be sufficient for prosecution,” said a senior police officer.
The SIT has also seized mobile phones and few laptops from the accused as they seem to have details and information of some of their extortions. Teams within the SIT are also working exclusively on determining the assets of the each of the accused in this case, by collecting evidences added a senior officer.
