BENGALURU: With the government clearing the decks for the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to file a chargesheet against suspended Lokayukta Joint Commissioner (PRO) Syed Riyaz, the SIT is all set to submit the chargesheet to the Lokayukta Special court against Riyaz, Lokayukta Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao’s son Ashwin Yerabati and four others on Wednesday.
The SIT was ready to submit the chargesheet to the court on Tuesday, but it was delayed by a day as legal experts suggested a few changes in the chargesheet. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, head of the SIT, ADGP Kamal Pant, confirmed that the chargesheet will be submitted to the court on Wednesday.
As Riyaz was a government official and the government is the appointing authority of the Joint Commissioner at the anti-graft institution, the SIT needed the Prosecution Sanction Order (PSO) from the government. After SIT’s written request, the government gave its nod on Monday, and the SIT officials were all set to submit the chargesheet running up to 1,500 pages to the court on Tuesday.
“Legal experts suggested a few changes in the chargesheet and we could not do it on Tuesday. We have made the changes suggested by the experts and will submit it to the court on Wednesday,” an official source said.
The chargesheet is related to the FIR no. 56/2015 registered in connection with the complaint filed by Bengaluru Urban Zilla Panchayat Executive Engineer M.N. Krishnamurthy. The SIT has named Riyaz as accused number one in the case followed by Ashwin Yerabati, V. Bhaskar alias 420 Bhaskar, Ashok Kumar, journalist M.B. Srinivasa Gowda and Shankare Gowda. The complainant had alleged that the extortion syndicate had threatened him with a Lokayukta raid if he did not pay up Rs 1 crore.
Body warrant plea rejected
The Lokayukta Special Court on Tuesday rejected the request made by the SIT seeking the body warrant of Syed Riyaz and Ashok Kumar to question them further in connection with the case registered by P.B. Channabasappa.
The SIT officials had appealed to the court that they need Riyaz and Ashok’s custody as they wanted more information from them in the case filed by P.B. Channabasappa (FIR no. 58/2015). The SIT officials had said that they would not be able to access the duo, as the High Court had granted them bail and they would be released soon. However, the judge, rejecting the plea, refused to grant body warrant.
Meanwhile, the SIT officials made a fresh appeal before the court seeking the body warrant of Riyaz, Ashwin Yerabati and V Bhaskar alias 420 Bhaskar in connection with the complaint filed by KPCC member and industrialist P.N. Krishnamurthy. The court has adjourned the hearing till September 19.
