From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Dec 11: Karnataka’s Upalokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi had "overstepped" his jurisdiction and dismissed a corruption case involving Rs 676 crore in the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) to protect leaders in the previous BJP Government, alleged Congress MLC V S Ugrappa in Bengaluru on Friday.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has adopted a motion for removal of Justice Adi on charges "misuse of office, misconduct and overstepping jurisdiction."
Ugrappa, who is a close confidant of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has accused Justice Adi of disposing off a complaint lodged against the HDMC Commissioner and other officials in 2013 without conducting a probe.
Addressing presspersons, Ugrappa, who has been unearthing documents, claimed that Justice Adi had overstepped his jurisdiction while clearing the alleged corruption case,
The Congress MLC alleged that several HDMC officers, engineering and contractors siphoned of funds sanctioned during the previous BJP government for various developmental works in the HMC limits.
Though the Dharwad district falls under the jurisdiction of then Upalokayukta-I Justice S B Majage, the Congress leader said Justice Adi overstepped the jurisdiction and handled the case.
Justice Adi gave a clean chit to officers accused of indulging in misappropriation of funds sanctioned for solid waste management, drainage and other civic works, he alleged.
Following the instructions from Justice Adi, the Dharwad Deputy Commissioner conducted the probe into the charges levelled by Mohan BheerappaMaligere, advocate, into the misuse of funds in the HDMC.
However, the probe report had given the clean chit to all officers mentioned in the petition.
Based on the probe report, the Upalokayukta disposed of the case without indicting any official, Ugrappa alleged.