Siddaramaiah accuses Karnataka Minister of forgery, demands his resignation

Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah on Friday demanded the resignation of state minister Byrathi Basavraj alleging him of criminal conspiracy and forgery.

Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said, "A person filed a complaint in a court alleging that Karnataka Minister Byrathi Basavraj, BJP MLC R Shankar and three others hatched a conspiracy to knock off his property based using forged documents."

"The court took cognizance of offences of cheating, criminal conspiracy and forgery. A case was registered in a special court and summons were issued. These are powerful people and may influence the probe. Minister Byrathi Basavraj should not continue as a minister," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress MLAs staged a protest in the Assembly demanding resignation of the minister.

Last month, Bengaluru chief metropolitan magistrate court ordered a criminal case to be filed against Byrathi, R Shankar and others under several sections of IPC.