Bangalore: Lok Ayukta Nets Corrupt Tax, IAS Officers

TNN

Bangalore, Jun 28: Just as Lok Ayukta sleuths swooped down on the Bangalore residence of Davangere assistant commissioner (commercial taxes) Amanulla Sharief on Friday morning, he jumped over the compound wall and disappeared. But he returned by 10.30 am and said he’d gone to visit his ailing mother.

Why did he run in such a panic? For Sharief knew of the sleuths’ visit. They unearthed documents for property worth Rs 1.35 crore and cash from his house, whereas his entire 30 years’ earnings would have come to just Rs 30 lakh.

The Lok Ayukta also raided residences of nine officials, including an IAS officer, a deputy superintendent of police, commercial tax department officers. The raid yielded properties worth Rs 20 crore, disproportionate to their known sources of income.

Interestingly, Lok Ayukta officials are still assessing the value of some properties in the form of business establishments, which these officers were running in benami operations. This announcement was made by Lok Ayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde.

10 officers, Rs 20 cr, still counting

Bangalore: When Lok Ayukta sleuths raided top government officials who had amassed illegal wealth, little did one realise that some of these officers were running businesses in the name of their relatives. These businesses involved huge sums of money, something relatives couldn’t have managed on their own.

For example, raided DC (commercial taxes) Shiva Prakash’s sister Jayalaxmi, who has studied till Class 6, was running Jaya Travels, which has over 102 vehicles, including cars.

Besides, the value of the commercial complex at Kengeri and a house belonging to Baladeva Krishna, IAS officer and MD of SC/ST Development Corporation, is yet to be ascertained. Likewise, Mehaboob Khan, Gandhinagar district registrar, runs KVMS Export, while Belgaum joint commissioner of commercial taxes Narase Gowda runs two-wheeler and fourwheeler sales & service showrooms.

The other raided officers are mines and geology additional director Khayum Ali, Kushtagi taluk panchayat executive officer H D Mahalingaiah, CoD DySP M Ramakrishna, Haveri PWD executive engineer C R Bellari and Tumkur district registrar Keshava Murthy.

Lok Ayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde said the raided officers were not arrested and investigation is on. “We are still assessing some properties. These officers say the property was gifted to them by their in-laws or parents. Going by their backgrounds, they can’t afford to gift such huge properties. We are verifying the valuations of the properties they have given us,’’ he added.

On the status of cases in which raids were conducted recently, Justice Hegde said the Lok Ayukta would file chargesheets against the officers after the investigation was complete. “Some officials have got KAT orders against Lok Ayukta filing chargesheets without obtaining permission from government. However, the Supreme Court has given a verdict stating such permission was just a formality. If the government delays giving permission, then it is deemed to be permitted and we are filing chargesheets,’’ he said.

Legislators’ assets declaration

Justice Hegde warned that he would be booking criminal cases under Sec 177 of IPC against legislators who fail to declare their assets and liabilities before the Lok Ayukta. Justice Hegde said so far, only 39 of the new legislators declared their assets and liabilities. “There are three days left for the deadline. If they don’t, they can be imprisoned for one month. If they file wrong declarations, we will charge them with both Sections 176 and 177 of IPC, which attract six months imprisonment,’’ he said.

Notice to Lok Ayukta over property

Bangalore: The high court on Friday ordered notices to the Lok Ayukta and the transport department over a petition filed by a motor vehicles inspector.

Justice N Kumar, who heard the petition filed by H Yoga Ramesh, stayed the Bangalore Rural sessions court’s order attaching his and his family properties worth 1.9 crore in Bangalore and Hassan, and also asked the parties not to alienate them.

The sessions court had ordered the attachment upon an FIR filed by the Lok Ayukta SP. The raid was conducted on December 18 and 19, 2007.

The petitioner claimed that the action of authorities is vindictive as he had successfully challenged his earlier transfer on September 3, 2007, before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal.