The High Court of Karnataka on Friday issued notices to the state government, the Lokayukta and the Anti Corruption Bureau on a petition filed by former deputy chief minister R Ashoka in the Bagair Hukum land scam.
Ashoka has challenged the legality of an FIR registered by the ACB against him on November 9, 2017, over his alleged involvement in the scam. The ACB accused him of being one of the beneficiaries of the scam and alleged that the Bengaluru South Taluk Bagair Hukum Land Regularisation Committee (from 1998 to 2006) had allotted land to ineligible people. Ashoka chaired the committee in his capacity as the Uttarahalli MLA.
The BJP leader suggested that the ACB had registered the case to "malign" him. He argued that other members of the committee were "deliberately" omitted from the FIR as they belonged to other political parties. He further contended that a complaint on the same matter was filed before the Lokayukta on May 27, 2013, and it was still under investigation. He reasoned that it was illegal to carry out two parallel investigations in the same case.
Justice R B Budihal directed the respondents to file their objections before the next hearing which will take place on Tuesday.