Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 14: RTI activist, T J Abraham, has filed a fresh complaint with Anti Corruption Bureau, thus lending a fresh lease of life to the controversy surrounding costly Hublot wrist watch the chief minister (CM) used to wear, which was said to cost between Rs 50 - 70 lac. As per the complaint, the watch was handed over to the chief minister by executive engineer in the public works department, L Raghu.

The complaint names six persons as accused. They include PWD minister, H C Mahadevappa, PWD executive engineer, L Raghu, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board chairman, Laxman, and Dr Girish Chandra Varma, who it is being claimed, had presented the watch to the CM, and the CM himself. The complainant has claimed that there have been many shady transactions relating to the said Hublot watch. Alleging that the certificate issued by Dr Girish Chandra Varma stating that he himself had gifted the watch to the CM was false, the ACB has been urged to conduct detailed investigation into this matter.

"Lokayukta police had raided the house of PWD executive engineer, L Raghu, after registering a case of having assets disproportionate to his known sources of income in 2012. Lokayukta additional director general of police had written to the government in 2014 seeking permission to conduct investigation against Raghu. Even after sending two to three reminders to the government on this issue, there was no response. The letter seeking permission had been given by the CM to minister, Mahadevappa, who retained the latter in his office," the complainant has claimed.

The watch was given to the CM in the form of bribe in return for the favour done by way of not issuing permission to investigate him. The watch arrived during first week of December, and it was bought by paying Rs 1.25 crore. Out of three watches, one was given to the CM, and the other was given to minister, Mahadevappa. The third one been retained by Raghu, it has been claimed.