JOIN USA private complaint was filed on Thursday in the Special Lokayukta Court against Balagangadharanatha Swami of Adichunchanagiri Mutt alleging land grabbing, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The complaint has been filed by ex-councillor of Hulimavu village, trustee and secretary of Ramalingeshwara Swamy Temple Trust, C Lakshminarayana. The matter has been posted to May 29 for orders. The complaint also names IAS officers Veerabhadraiah, Ramegowda, M K Aiyappa and 21 others.
The complaint states that Ramalingeshwara Temple in Hulimavu village was granted 15 acres in 1981 and 31 guntas in 1985 by the government, after imposing certain grant conditions in the name of the Ramalingeshwara Swamy Temple Trust.
In 1990, an extra 10 guntas in Hulimavu in Begur hobli was granted to sink borewells as the immediate land around the temple was very rocky.
The complaint alleges that some people created a trust in the temple’s name and negotiated a sale of the trust property to Adichunchanagiri Maha Samsthana Mutt. Documents were created stating that the Ramalingeshwara Trust was entrusting the property over to the utt. By virtue of that letter, the 15 acres and 31 guntas were transferred in 1997.
The transfer was also done on the basis of a government order issued by Under Secretary Revenue Department, even though there was a non-transferring grant condition on the land, when it was originally granted by the government.
Mariyappa Swami, who claimed to be the president of Ramalingeshwara Trust, created documents and effected the transfer of land and aided the Mutt. Subsequently, the Revenue Department mutated the property to the Mutt, the complaint states.
Later, the extra 10 guntas were sold by the Mutt to Mariyappa Swami, the complaint stated, adding that it amounted to wrongful gain and maladministration of trust property.
One of the grant conditions was that the property should not be alienated and hence, there could be no sale or lease.
The Mutt occupied the land without any authority and started unauthorised construction around the temple in the name of an educational institution. They also obtained a No Objection Certificate to start BGS National Public School. They also forged a sanction plan from Bommanahalli CMC to support their construction around the temple, the complaint alleges.
Plaint dismissed
The Special Lokayukta Court on Thursday dismissed a private complaint filed against Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore Urban M K Aiyappa.
Judge N K Sudhindra Rao ruled the complaint did not attract any provisions under Prevention of Corruption Act, as no pecuniary demands or advantages or misappropriation were shown.
The private complaint filed by Deepak M had said that his mother R Yashoda had purchased eight acres of land in Kurubarahalli in Taverekere hobli in 1966 on Survey No 116.
In 2005, the Special Tahsildar Sadanandappa issued a ‘khata’ for the same land to the legal heirs of Moinuddin, who was in possession of the land from 1925-35.
The tahsildar, in his letter, had stated that the ‘khata’ was issued based on two court orders issued in 1965. Deepak alleged that no such orders existed and the tahsildar had issued the ‘khata’ without going through the said judgments.
In May 2007, then state information commissioner directed the deputy commissioner to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within 60 days.
However, no probe was conducted and when the complainant took up the matter with the present Deputy Commissioner Aiyappa, he was directed to find the file number and get more information.
Private complaint
The Special Lokayukta Court on Thursday posted a private complaint filed against Housing Minister V Somanna and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to May 29 for orders.
The complaint filed by advocate Yogendra H alleges illegal denotification of land by Yeddyurappa to benefit Somanna and his family. It also names Somanna’s wife Shylaja and his son Naveen B S.
According to the complaint, the BDA acquired land for the formation of Jnanabharathi Layout and issued the final notification in 1994. Also acquired were Survey No 77 in Nagadevanahalli village at Kengeri hobli Bangalore South taluk measuring two acres owned by Deve Gowda.
When he died, his property was partitioned and was divided between his wife Lingamma and sons D Hanumaiah, D Lingaiah and D Ramaiah.
Meanwhile, the BDA announced a compensation of 5.42 lakh and approved it in July 1997.
In May 2010, Lingamma projecting herself as the single owner of Survey No 77 applied for denotification of 30 guntas of land. Following this, Yeddyurappa immediately directed the authorities to place the concerned file before him.
The complaint states that within five days, the Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department requested BDA commissioner to prepare a spot report on the present status of the land. On a priority basis, the said land was inspected and the BDA officials stated that the land had already been handed over to the engineering section for a layout.
Yet, denotification was ordered on the basis that Lingamma was a widow with five children and the land was their only property. The complainant alleges that 22 guntas of the same land were denotified illegally.
This was after the building of an educational institution was constructed on the land by Shylaja. It is alleged that Yeddyurappa flouted all rules and precedents to benefit Somanna, his wife and son.