Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Aug 28: Karnataka chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, has reasons to rejoice as the people's representatives special court here released him from a case pertaining to alleged irregularities in Arkavathy Extension denotification case.

When he was the chief minister, Kumaraswamy had reportedly denotified three acres and eight guntas of land in survey No. 87/4 B of Thanisandra village in the year 2007. A person identified as Mahadevaswamy from Chamarajanagar had filed private complaint in Lokayukta special court in the year 2012.

After the special court for people's representatives was set up, this case was shifted to the new court. The special court has now absolved Kumaraswamy, and also the land owners, A V Ravi, A V Sriram and Ramalingam of the charges. But former minister, Channigappa, who has not filed application seeking to get relief from the charges, continued to be named as accused.

Sections 182, 420, and120 of Indian Penal Code as well as sections 13 (1) and 13 (2) of Prevention of Corruption Act had been invoked against these persons. The court, when dropping the names of these persons from the list of accused in the case, cited that there was inordinate delay in filing of the complaint, as it was done four years after the incident. It said that there are no supportive evidences or materials to prove that this denotification was done purposefully or for profit. The concerned had not obtained permission from competent authorities before registering the complaint. It also cited that under section 197 of Criminal Procedure Code, obtention of prior permission in such cases is mandatory.