‘Tainted and shabby investigation’: Bengaluru court rejects Lokayukta report in Vidhan Soudha cash haul case
Former Karnataka backward classes welfare minister and Congress MLA C Puttarangashetty was an accused in the case.
Karnataka Lokayukta (File Photo) A Bengaluru special court recently rejected the Karnataka Lokayukta Police report in the 2019 Vidhana Soudha cash haul case, stating that the investigation in the matter was carried out for “eye-washing purpose”.
Former backward classes welfare minister and Congress MLA C Puttarangashetty was an accused in the case. The case was registered after a person was nabbed while carrying Rs 25.76 lakh cash at the Vidhana Soudha premises.
In his order delivered on May 26, Judge K M Radhakrishna observed, “The name sake investigation is seen to have carried out, for the eye-washing purpose. Virtually, sidelined the required investigation on serious lapses and defects noticed by this Court in the order dated 31.01.2025. The very purpose of further investigation has been defeated. Obviously, all possible efforts are seen to have made to suppress the crucial evidence which prima-facie discloses, the involvement of the then Minister in the crime. Rather, the investigating agency has implicated the private individuals as accused No. 4 to 11 in the additional charge sheet, to justify its acts of giving go-bye to the prime accused.”
“This tainted and shabby investigation cannot be said to have carried out with no sense. I mean to say, that the required investigation and crucial evidence has been ignored. This is what really happened and happening as observed by this Court in many cases. Deciding the quality of an investigation, giving go-bye to the true culprits, filing of B reports or the charge sheets etc., depending on the background, and societal status of culprits is most most unfortunate. The present case is the best and living example. Such approach on the part of the law enforcing agencies erodes the faith of the common people in the system,” the judge further said in the order.
The court, thereafter, rejected the report of the Lokayukta Police and “directed to forward the true copy of this order to the ADGP and IGP of the Karnataka Lokayukta Police Wing, to cause the further investigation in the light of observations hereinabove and submit the report to the Court within 45 days.”
On January 4, 2019, a journalist tipped off the Vidhana Soudha police about a man transporting a suspiciously large sum of money within the legislative complex. The man, Mohan Kumar, was intercepted and found carrying Rs 25.76 lakh in cash. It was alleged that the money had been pooled together from multiple contractors as an illegal payment for Puttarangashetty, who was the backward classes welfare minister at the time.
While Mohan Kumar was arrested, the former minister was named as the prime accused but later his name was dropped from the case.
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