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Journalism of Courage
Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot granted sanction for prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday (August 16), over corruption allegations against him by private complainants. On Monday, the Karnataka High Court said it would hear the CM’s plea against the sanction on August 29.
The ruling Congress party termed the Governor’s move a “political conspiracy” and pointed to a few sanction requests still pending with the Governor. These requests were made by investigating agencies over cases of alleged corruption, according to documents accessed by The Indian Express.
These cases concern HD Kumaraswamy, the Union Minister for Heavy Industry and Steel and the former Karnataka CM from Janata Dal (Secular). BJP MLAs Murugesh Nirani, Gali Janardhan Reddy and Shashikala Jolle are also mentioned. All three served as ministers in previous BJP governments in Karnataka.
The sanction to prosecute Kumaraswamy was sought on November 21, 2023, by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Lokayukta. Formed on the basis of Lokayukta reports of 2013 and 2017, the SIT submitted a 218-page report to the Governor last year.
It investigated cases of illegal mining during Kumaraswamy’s first tenure as CM in the JD(S)-BJP government, from 2006 to 2008. Allegations had surfaced at the time that Kumaraswamy supposedly collected Rs 150 crore from mining companies for unduly favouring them in awarding a lease.
Multiple cases were filed against him during his tenure, with two of them related to Shree Sai Venkateshwara Minerals and Janthakal Mining Company. He was granted anticipatory bail in both cases during the agencies’ investigation.
While the Karnataka HC case related to the Janthakal Mining Company was quashed, the Supreme Court directed agencies to thoroughly investigate the other case.
Kumaraswamy said on Sunday that on March 29, 2017, the apex court had asked the SIT to complete the investigation within three months. He questioned the delay in submitting the report, asking whether the state government was using the issue to threaten him.
The sanction against BJP leader Murugesh Nirani, the Industries Minister from 2019-2023, was sought on February 26, 2024. It was for a contract granted to a private company to produce an animated video for the Global Investors Meet in 2022.
According to the Karnataka Lokayukta’s request to the Governor, the tender for the two-minute video was for Rs 4.08 cr and was exempted from provisions of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act. Though the private company had initially sought Rs 3 cr for the video, the price was subsequently revised by over 25 per cent before the company’s bid was approved.
Lokayukta police further said the video was not even displayed during the Global Investors Meet, effectively leading to a loss to the state exchequer. Incidentally, the complainant in this case is T J Abraham, one of the complainants in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam in which Siddaramaiah’s name has surfaced.
The sanction for prosecution against Reddy was sought on May 13, 2024, based on a complaint filed against him in 2015 under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The complaint alleged that the BJP MLA had amassed disproportionate assets during his tenure as minister in the first BJP government of Karnataka (2008-13). In the request from Karnataka Lokayukta to the Governor, the agency noted that Reddy’s alleged illicit income was Rs 65.30 cr — 25.27 per cent more than his known sources of income. During the check period that assessed his income, Reddy was a minister.
Reddy is currently the MLA from Gangavathi in Koppal district. Though he fought the 2023 Legislative Assembly polls under Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha, a party he launched, he merged it with BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections this year.
Jolle is currently an MLA from Nippani. The complaint against the ex-BJP minister was for a sting operation carried out by a local news channel named News First in 2021, when Jolle served as the Women and Child Development Minister.
The minister had allegedly sought bribes to ensure the supply of eggs under the Mathru Poorna scheme, which provides nutritional meals to pregnant and lactating women from poor families, in the Bidar, Yadgir, Gulbarga, Raichur, Ballari and Koppal districts. The sanction was sought from the Governor on December 9, 2021.
