SC jolts former top cop for shielding corrupt inspector

Former Bengaluru police commissioner Raghavendra H Auradkar, accused of shielding an inspector who allegedly extorted money from a senior citizen in a property case, has received a jolt from the Supreme Court.

The apex court has stayed an interim order passed by the High Court of Karnataka that had stalled the investigation into an FIR against him for failing to act against M S Ashok, a former inspector of the Amruthahalli police station. Ashok had allegedly extorted money from V Hanumanthaiah, a retired teacher, to help him get possession of a property in Yelahanka hobli, Bengaluru North taluk, on a high court order. Auradkar is now inspector general of police, CID.

The FIR against Auradkar and other police officers, including T R Suresh, was registered by the Anti Corruption Bureau on December 4, 2017, on the directions of an additional sessions judge, Bengaluru, on a complaint of cheating, forgery and inducement and under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The high court stayed the proceedings on February 1, 2018.

Hanumanthaiah filed a special leave petition against the high court judgement. Representing him, advocate Sanjay M Nuli contended that the high court ignored the documentary evidence against Ashok and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

"The high court has failed to consider the reports of the Lokayukta which clearly show that the accused has received the illegal gratification of Rs 2 lakh from the complainant to comply with the court's order related to a land," he said.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and L Nageswara Rao stayed the high court order and ordered that notices be issued to Auradkar, Suresh and the Karnataka government.