Kallesh had alleged earlier that he was being coerced to implicate Karnataka CM and others in the alleged Valmiki scam.
Published Nov 08, 2024 | 6:30 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 08, 2024 | 6:30 PM
Karnataka High Court to hear petition over use of non-existing judgments in trial court order (Wikmedia)
The Karnataka High Court – on Friday, 8 November – quashed the FIR and other proceedings against two Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in relation with the Valmiki scam.
The ED officials were earlier accused of forcing a senior government employee to implicate Karnataka CM in the Valmiki corporation scam. The case was closed after the complainant – Kallesh B – told Karnataka HC that he did not wish to pursue the matter any further, according to LiveLaw.
The ruling was issued by single-judge bench consisting of Justice M Nagaprasanna – based on the PIL from Kallesh – former additional director of the State Social Welfare Department and the complainant in the case.
The officials – Mittal and Murali Kannan – were charged by Bengaluru police based on a complaint from Kallesh. He had alleged coercion to implicate former Minister B Nagendra and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Valmiki Corporation scam when Kallesh was being questioned by the ED.
On 23 July this year, the Karnataka HC had stayed proceedings against these officers investigating the irregularities in Valmiki Corporation scam, citing potential abuse of law against the officers performing their duties. The officials were charged by the Bengaluru police based on a complaint Kallesh.
The illegal money transfer case came to light after P Chandrashekar — accounts superintendent at the Corporation — died by suicide a few months ago. In a purported suicide note, he said some officials had pressured him to transfer crores of money to an unofficial account.
In the six-page suicide note accessed by South First, he had levelled allegations of corruption to the tune of ₹88 crore against the KMVSTDC’s Managing Director, Accountant, and the manager of Union Bank of India’s MG Road branch.
The investigation began after two FIRs were filed by the Karnataka Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following the tragic suicide of Chandrashekhar on 26 May this year.
The death note revealed the unauthorised transfer of ₹187 crore belonging to the Corporation from its bank account. From that, ₹88.62 crore was illegally moved to various accounts allegedly belonging to “well-known” IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank.
Chandrashekhar had named the Corporation’s now suspended Managing Director JG Padmanabha, accounts officer Parashuram G Durugannavar, and Union Bank of India Chief Manager Suchismita Rawal in the note, while also stated that “the minister” had issued oral orders for transferring the funds.
(Edited by Neena)
