HC notice to Santosh Hegde

The High Court has ordered notice to former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde in connection with a defamation petition by former Superintendent of Police M Hemanth Nimbalkar.

More than two-and-a-half years ago, then Lokayukta Santosh Hegde had said that the details of Nimbalkar having allegedly amassed wealth over Rs 250 crore were being checked.

It resulted in the latter filing a defamation case against Justice Hegde and others. The police officer had approached the High Court challenging the order of a lower court which dismissed his defamation suit.

The Lokayukta police, after conducting raids on Nimbalkar’s residence and other premises, had claimed that they unearthed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Nimbalkar stated that the property he owned was ancestral property and the value of the property recovered from him did not exceed Rs one crore.  Justice Anand Byra Reddy has adjourned the matter.