Balakrishna Gowda charged
Bangalore, Aug 7, 2012 DH News Service
Retired KAS officer’s family income put at Rs 15.18 crore
The Lokayukta police on Tuesday filed a charge sheet against H D Balakrishna Gowda, retired KAS officer and eldest son of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday.
Submitting the report to the Special Lokayukta court, investigating officer DySP Prasanna V Raju submitted that the percentage of disproportionate assets was 43, during Balakrishna’s service as a KAS officer from 1985 till he took voluntary retirement in April 2005.
The court had referred to the police a private complaint filed by S N Balakrishna, a retired teacher, who alleged that Balakrishna Gowda had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. According to the police, the total income declared by Balakrishna Gowda was Rs 27 lakh from salary (Rs 24 lakh after tax deductions), but his income was Rs 12.64 crore from all sources, including rental, commercial and agricultural.
The total income of his family was Rs 15.18 crore.
Disproportionate assets were valued at Rs 5.24 crore, according to the police. Though the police have calculated the disproportionate assets only for the years he was in service, they have submitted documents pertaining to all the properties belonging to the family till date.
Interestingly, 80 per cent of the property owned by Balakrishna Gowda and his family was acquired between 2005 and 2007.
Post retirement
Kavitha Balakrishna had purchased 14 properties immediately after Gowda’s retirement between May and December 2005. The family has also shown four kg of gold and 19 kg of silver as gifts received by them.
Judge N K Sudhindra Rao sought clarification from the investigation officer about other properties owned by the members of the family.
For instance, Gowda’s brother-in-law Madhu Raghavendra owns several agricultural properties, though he claimed his source of income was mining business.
Gowda’s maternal uncle Srikanta owns five properties.
Details have also been sought about four windmills the family owns in Gadag, Jnanasweekar school off Kanakapura Road in Bangalore, office spaces on Residency Road and IBC Knowledge Park on Bannerghatta Road, and more properties in Sadashivanagar and other areas.
Clarifications have also been sought about properties bought in his mother-in-law Jayamma’s name and later transferred to Kavitha’s name or properties which were simply transferred as gifts.
The Lokayukta police submitted that the estimate of assets before and after he retired from service – which they have probed so far – could be put at Rs 75 crore.
The matter will be taken up again on August 16.
The police, rapped by the court on Monday for the delay, submitted the report late in the evening and additional documents on Tuesday.
