As of now, Justice Rao has no site in Judicial Layout

After taking over as the Lokayukta, Justice Shivaraj Patil had to make a dramatic exit within a few months. For, he owned a site in the controversial Judicial Layout in Yelahanka.

For the very reason, former Kerala High Court Chief Justice S R Bannurmath could not make it to the post of the Lokayukta, which had fallen vacant following Justice Patil’s resignation.

But, Justice Y Bhaskara Rao, who was sworn in as Lokayukta on Thursday, was lucky compared to Justices Patil and Bannurmath. For,  much before his name was considered for the top post in the quasi-judicial body, he had disposed of the site he owned in the Judicial Layout.

Contrary to reports, Justice Rao does not own a site in Judicial Layout at present. Documents in possession with Deccan Herald reveal that Justice Rao and his wife Aruna who were jointly allotted a site measuring 5,400 sq ft in the Layout for Rs 1,86,117 in 1999 have sold the said site in 2008.

The allotment was made to them though they were not eligible to get a site as per the Clauses 10 and 53 of the society bye-laws as well as the provisions of the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act, 1959. On the other, according to the original sale deed executed in their favour, they were not allowed to sell the land before 10 years from the date of allotment.

In May 2000, they got an approved construction plan from the then Yelahanka City Municipal Corporation to construct a house of 3,342 sq ft. The same year, a complaint was filed before the Lokayukta alleging that roads had been converted to form sites in the Layout.

Roads formed

The complainant had alleged that the Secretary/Director of the Karnataka State Judicial Department Employees’ House Building Co-operative Society had formed roads into sites and sold it to members.

And, in a reply to the charges, the Secretary stated that it had happened in one case, where a portion of the road was annexed with the site (number 1253) which was allotted to Justice Rao and his wife in 1999 when he was the chief justice of the High Court of Karnataka.

He also claims that a rectification deed was made pertaining to the said site by cancelling the “marginal” land and making it into a road. And as a result it was converted into a corner property, yielding the society more money.

Later, Justice Rao, gifted his portion of the property to his wife through a gift deed dated February 19, 2002. While executing the said deed, he handed over the possession of the ‘marginal’ land which was rectified by the society to be the road, to her.

This, documents state, was done by “oversight in the scheduled measurement” which was also rectified through a deed dated December 11, 2008, a day before Aruna sold the property.