BENGALURU, Feb 24: A city-based special court has ordered Lokayukta police to conduct further investigation to check charges of quid pro-quo against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and file a fresh final report within six months.
The court issued the order after rejecting the closure report filed by Lokayukta police in a graft case against Siddaramaiah.
The court observed that the Lokayukta police had accepted Siddaramaiah’s self-serving statement without conducting a fair probe as the agency failed to give adequate opportunity to the complainant to substantiate his allegations against the accused.
The complainant, former corporator NR Ramesh, had alleged that Siddaramaiah, during his first stint as Chief Minister, had received around Rs 1.3 crore through cheque on July 28, 2014, as kickbacks from L Vivekananda alias King’s Court Vivek, managing director of Vivek Hotels from Mysuru, to appoint him steward of Bengaluru Turf Club Limited.
Commenting on the issue, Karnataka BJP President Vijayendra Yediyurappa strongly urged Siddaramaiah to come clean on it by handing over the investigation to CBI for a fair and impartial inquiry into the allegations.
Vijayendra said it is quite alarming and concerning to know the alacrity of Siddaramaiah and his government producing a closure report to the court in a brazen corruption case where it is alleged that the CM has received kickbacks through cheques.
Vijayendra said the credibility of the state investigative agencies is in the dock and the court has rightly wrapped it for the haste in submitting the closure report.
“It needs to be highly noted that the complainant has not been given a fair chance to substantiate his allegations. This raises serious doubts about the fairness and sincerity of the officers involved in the investigation given the seriousness of the allegations,” he stated.
Also, these accusations are against the CM himself who can misuse his constitutional authority to influence the course of the investigation in his favour, Vijayendra alleged.
(UNI)
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