Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 1: The Michael D’Cunha Commission, tasked with investigating deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic and alleged irregularities in the procurement of medical equipment, has submitted its final report to the Karnataka government.
The panel handed over 684 files from Belagavi district and 171 files from Bengaluru Urban district to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday.
Justice D’Cunha indicated that while the Commission has not made the report public, the government may choose to release it in the public interest, citing the need for transparency.
The retired High Court judge-led Commission was constituted in August 2023 following allegations of corruption in the Health and Medical Education Departments during the Covid-19 crisis. The panel had submitted a first interim report in 2024, followed by a second interim report spanning 1,808 pages in April 2025.
On the basis of the first interim report, the State Cabinet in November 2024 approved the formation of a special investigation team, and the case was subsequently handed over to the CID for detailed inquiry.
The probe centres on alleged financial irregularities worth Rs 167 crore during the previous BJP government’s handling of Covid-19. The complaint was lodged by Dr M Vishnuprasad, chief accountant of the Medical Education Department, who alleged misuse of funds and procedural lapses by several officials. Following this, an FIR was registered in December 2024 at the Bengaluru Vidhana Soudha police station.
On submission, Justice D’Cunha said: “The Commission has formally submitted the final investigation report to the government. While the reports have not been released publicly, given public interest and the need for transparency, the government may consider releasing them at the earliest.”
The final report submission concludes the Commission’s investigation, which has been one of Karnataka’s most high-profile inquiries into Covid-19-related deaths and alleged mismanagement of medical equipment procurement.