Court orders FIR against Nirmala, BJP leaders over poll bond ‘conspiracy’
The activist, who earlier approached the police seeking a probe into the electoral bonds scheme, filed a private complaint in a court on April 15 this year after the police refused to register an FIR.
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The complainant alleged that Sitharaman, through the clandestine aid and support of ED officials, facilitated extortion of thousands of crores of rupees for the benefit of others both at the state and national levels. (File Photo)The Bengaluru police have registered an FIR against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, unnamed Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and office-bearers of the BJP at state and national level for allegedly being involved in extortion and criminal conspiracy through the now-scrapped electoral bond scheme.
The FIR was registered under sections 384 (punishment for extortion) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC on the directions of a special court in the city.
The complainant, Adarsh R Iyer, co-president, ‘Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath’, also named Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra and party leader Nalin Kumar Kateel among others.
The complaint alleged that corporates “M/s Sterlite and M/s Vedanta Company were subjected to raids by accused no.2 (ED) on multiple occasions” on account of which the firms were forced to buy electoral bonds worth `230.15 crore in April 2019, August 2022 and November 2023.
The complainant has provided an analysis of the action taken by the ED and the electoral bonds purchases by the private firms to allegedly ward off the ED probe.
“It is relevant to submit that Hon’ble Supreme Court made several observations against electoral bonds in its judgment. The entire events, facts and circumstances of electoral bonds are within the official domain of various law enforcement agencies,” Iyer said in his April 15 complaint.
Reacting to the development, Karnataka CM Siddaramiah, whose resignation is sought by the opposition BJP following an FIR against him over the Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment case, said: “According to BJP leaders’ argument, Nirmala Sitharaman should resign now, right?” Responding to this, JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, said: “Why should Nirmala Sitharaman resign? Has electoral bond funds gone to Sitharaman’s personal account? Has she misused power and benefited herself like you?”
With PTI inputs
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