JOIN USA private complaint was filed in the Special Lokayukta Court on Thursday against Medium and Large Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, for forging documents and depriving a company of a project allotted to it.
The matter has been posted for orders on April 30. The complaint also names former principal secretary of Commerce and Industries V P Baligar, former managing director of Karnataka Udyog Mitra Shivaswamy and Deputy Director of Karnataka Udyog Mitra Gangadharaiah as the accused.
The complainant A Alam Pasha, Managing Director of Pash Space International, stated the government had approved his Rs 600-crore project which envisaged the construction of value homes for the middle and lower income group and it had also directed the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) to allot 26 acres of land in Devanahalli Industrial area in July 2010.
The Committee which approved the proposal comprised Yeddyurappa, Nirani, V P Baligar and other senior officials. Following the approval, the complainant had entered into partnerships with funding agencies, architects and buyers.
However, the company received a Government Order on March 11, 2011, stating they were withdrawing the original order and intended to divert the company’s project to another company.
‘Letter forged’
Pasha alleged that the accused forged a letter, by copying the letterhead of the company along with the seal and signature.
The letter stated that the company was not interested in pursuing the project or needed the land allotted. Pasha said he never tendered a letter to KIADB or State High Level Clearance Committee and alleged that the meeting for cancellation of the project was held on January 24, 2011, while the letter was received on February 1, 2011.
Though a complaint had been lodged with the Lokayukta, no action had been taken, he claimed.
All the accused, with the connivance of officials, knowingly caused loss to the government, he stated. The complaint also accused Nirani, Yeddyurappa and Baligar of illegally acquiring 4,500 acres of land in Devanahalli.
The complainant states the government purposely ignored the original owners during acquisition and made wrongful payments to the ineligible claimants.