Karnataka govt suspends two senior engineers after IT search

December 2, 2016

Belagavi, Dec 2: Two senior Karnataka government officials were suspended today in connection with the searches conducted by the Income Tax Department on their premises as part of the country-wide operation that has resulted in the biggest-ever seizure of cash in new currency.

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Bowing to the Opposition demand in the Karnataka Legislative Council, now in session here, Home Minister G Parameshwara announced the action against senior engineers T N Chikkarayappa and S C Jayachandra who had come on the radar of tax sleuths along with two contractors here.

Chikkarayappa is Managing Director of Cauvery Neeravari Nigama (irrigation corporation) and Jayachandra, Chief Project Officer of the State Highway Development Project.

The government would decide on the next step after a probe and getting information from the IT Department, Parameshwara said, adding, none would be protected and the guilty would be punished according to law.

He also said it was not proper to link one official as being close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the other to Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa, pointing out that they had worked for previous governments also.

Over 50 I-T sleuths and police personnel had conducted the operations and searched premises in Bengaluru, Chennai and Erode (Tamil Nadu) with the Department today saying the seizure of cash in new currency was over Rs five crore.

IT officials today said the cash found, after searches were launched yesterday on the premises of two engineers and two contractors, has risen to Rs 5.7 crore and these notes are in the denomination of the new currency of Rs 2,000. "Total admission of unaccounted income by the group stands at Rs 152 crore. Investigations are on," they said in New Delhi.

Parameshwara said it was puzzling as to "from where Rs 4.7 crore came (in cash in new currency). It must have come from the bank only. How did they get it ... from which bank."

He said the IT department should now find out as to how "so much money reached them" and take action after completing the relevant process.

As the Council met, Opposition BJP and JD(S) members rushed to the well of the House alleging that government was protecting corrupt officers by not suspending them forthwith.

Opposition BJP leader K S Eshwarappa raised the issue and said the state government had not taken any action against the two officials though the matter had come to the fore and demanded their immediate suspension pending inquiry. JDS' Basavaraj Horatti also insisted on their suspension.

Parameshwara later told the House that he had discussed the matter with the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary and announced the suspension.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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Gokarna (Uttara Kannada): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said the Congress will decide about making him the Chief Minister in future, bringing to the fore again the issue of leadership change.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the Chief Minister's post after the Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy Chief Minister.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational Chief Minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.

During a temple visit here, a priest prayed that God's blessings may be showered on Shivakumar, and he became the Chief Minister.

Speaking to reporters here in Uttara Kannada district, Shivakumar, who has in the past made no secret of his ambition to become Chief Minister, amid speculations of change in guard mid-way of the Assembly term, responded to talk in some political circles about the leadership issue.

"What's wrong if a priest expresses his desire before God while praying? The priest has expressed his desire. Now Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister, I'm working as Deputy Chief Minister under him, also as party's state President. People speak about it and desiring it (Shivakumar should become CM) is a different matter, it will be decided by our party," Shivakumar said.

"Now we are all working under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, and our desire is that the state should progress further under his leadership," he said.

"There will be people including supporters and priests, who pray for us, they will express their opinion. Can we stop them from doing it? At the temple it is between God and his disciple, they have expressed their feelings to God," Shivakumar added. 

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News Network
March 22,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 22: An FIR has been registered against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya over a provocative hate post on social media, Election Commission officials said on Friday.

The move comes after a complaint filed by officials of the poll body and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that the Bengaluru South MP, who is also the President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, had in a post apparently targeted a minority and spread enmity between two communities.

He also made a similar post on March 19 on X and YouTube which went viral. He has 1.3 million followers on X, thereby influencing the voters and disturbing the communal harmony between the communities, it further alleged.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at Halasuru Gate police station on March 20 under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act, the officials said.

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News Network
March 16,2024

Mangaluru: In the wake of complaints regarding middlemen menace, sleuths of Lokayukta on Friday, March 15, conducted a raid at the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority. 

The Lokayukta team found unaccounted money and several files, which were not disposed of for a long period.

Lokayukta SP CA Simon said that the Lokayukta has received complaints that middlemen have been interfering in the MUDA office, and files pertaining to the public are not being cleared on time.

A raid that commenced in the evening on March 13, lasted for 18 hours. During the raid, Lokayukta officials found cash in a bag in MUDA office, and also with officials and others. MUDA officials could not inform the source of money found in their office, the SP said.

Further, he said that many people gathered at the MUDA office during the Lokayukta raid, and have raised complaints about the harassment at the urban development authority. “We have gathered evidence for MUDA officials carrying out file disposal processes through brokers on phone calls. The investigation on the MUDA network will be continued,” he said.

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