Udupi: Interference in Padmapriya Case - KAT Serves Notice to Raghupati Bhat
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Oct 30: The Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has slapped a notice on Udupi MLA K Raghupati Bhat, for his alleged act of interfering with the discharge of duties by a government servant. The MLA allegedly tried to influence a government servant on issues pertaining to the mysterious disappearance and subsequent death of his wife, Padmapriya.
The KAT has also instructed the government to produce before it, the station house diary maintained at Manipal police station.
B Ganapati Achar, the then station-in-charge of Manipal, who has since been transferred to the Chamarajnagar KPTCL division, had approached the KAT, complaining that the said MLA had played a key role in his transfer. He said that Bhat nursed a grouse against him, as he did not act as per the whims of the MLA in the above case.
Achar in his petition to the KAT has said that the MLA had pressurized him not to proceed in the issues of the investigations into Padmapriya's death and Atul Rao's arrest, without obtaining his consent. Achar also has quoted detailed conversations that ensued between himself and Bhat, in the petition.
The petition came up for hearing on Tuesday October 28. The KAT passed orders for the production of the station house diary and also for the issuance of notice to Bhat, calling for his objections if any on the petition. Although the notice of the hearing had been served, no one represented the MLA at the KAT hearing.
The government sought time to produce the station house diary. The KAT, which had earlier ordered status quo on the transfer orders of B G Achar, had later transferred the transfer issue to the Cadre Management Authority, which upheld the transfer order.
H D Kulkarni has since taken over charge as the inspector of Manipal police station. B G Achar has proceeded on medical leave.
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