JOIN USContradicting Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda's claims, former Advocate General B V Acharya today insisted that he resigned as AG after Government pressured him to quit as Special Public Prosecutor in the wealth case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
"I am told the BJP high command also took the same view that I should resign as SPP. However, I was not prepared to do that as that post is assigned to me by the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. In that case they wanted me to resign from the post of Advocate General, which I have done", Acharya told PTI, a day after he stepped down as AG.
Acharya's remarks are in conflict with the position of Gowda who asserted that government did not pressure him to resign as SPP.
"There is a PIL in court challenging Acharya holding two posts.The Government did not want to face any embarrassment on the issue. So I asked him to choose to continue in one of the posts", Gowda told PTI.
The Chief Minister said Acharya told him that since he has already worked earlier as Advocate General, he preferred to continue as SPP and he consented to it.
Acharya's claims come as further embarrassment to the ruling BJP which is now wrestling with the fallout of the porn scandal that led to exit of three ministers after they were caught on camera viewing obscene clippings on mobile phone during assembly proceedings.
"For sometime there was pressure from so many quarters that I resign as SPP.So after I resumed office of the Advocate General six months ago, they started raising the ground that I should not hold two posts.A petition has been filed before the Governor and PIL filed before High Court that I should resign as SPP and should not hold both the posts", Acharya said.
Acharya said he was "very sorry" that attempts were made from "so many quarters" that he resign from the post of the SPP and the "false criminal complaint which has been filed before the Lokayukta court is one such attempt".
Acharya is facing certain allegations regarding running of an educational trust in a private complaint before a Lokayukta court where the matter will come up on February 14.
He said there was no legal bar on an AG holding the post of an SPP, apparently expressing displeasure over Government asking him to opt for one of the posts.