Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, March 10: A case has been filed against Sam Pitroda, a prominent Congress leader and close associate of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, at the Land Grabbing Prohibition Special Court in Bengaluru. The complaint, which was filed on Monday, accuses Pitroda and others of illegal possession of government land.
Ramesh N R., a former leader of the ruling party in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the president of the Anti-Corruption Forum, lodged the petition under Section 4(2) of the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act 2011.
Ramesh's petition alleges that Pitroda, who is the former president of the Indian National Congress' overseas unit, and his associates have been in possession of 12.35 acres of reserved forest land in Jarakabande Kaval, near Yelahanka, Bengaluru. This land was initially leased in 1996 by the Karnataka Forest Department to Pitroda's organisation, the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), for a five-year period.
The lease was renewed in 2001 for an additional ten years, but was not extended after 2011. Despite the lease expiring, Pitroda and his associates are alleged to have continued occupying the land for the past 14 years.
Ramesh claims that the land, which is valued at over Rs 150 crore by the government and more than Rs 300 crore in the market, has been used for illegal activities, including the cultivation of rare medicinal plants, generating an annual income of Rs 5 to 6 crore.
In addition, he alleges that a large unauthorised building was constructed on the land, which now houses an Ayurvedic hospital called I-AIM (Institute of Ayurveda & Integrative Medicine).
On February 24, Ramesh filed complaints with both the Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the matter. In response to the illegal occupation of government land, he filed a comprehensive criminal case in the special court, accusing Pitroda, Darshan Shankar (a founding member of FRLHT), and four senior officials from the Karnataka Forest Department of involvement in this land-grabbing scheme.
The Karnataka Forest Department officials named in the case include former Additional Chief Secretary Javed Akhtar (IAS Retd.), who currently serves as the Chairman of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), as well as Principal Chief Conservators of Forests R.K. Singh and Sanjay Mohan, and Deputy Conservators of Forests in Bengaluru Urban Division, N. Ravindra Kumar and S. S. Ravishankar. The charges against them include fraud, corruption, illegal acquisition of government land, and abuse of power.
Pitroda, who hails from Odisha, has previously served as an advisor to India’s Telecom Department under former Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. He has long been a key figure in the Congress party, particularly in its overseas operations.