HDK, Anitha deny illegal denotification charges in apex court

Janata Dal (Secular) Member of Parliament and Karnataka State unit president H D Kumaraswamy and his wife, Anitha, MLA, said in affidavits to the Supreme Court that quid pro quo charges of land grants during 2006 and 2007 were politically motivated.

The charges of illegal leases and sites being granted to private firms as quid pro quo during Kumaraswamy’s chief ministership 2006-07 were a part of “political vendetta to harass the family of the former Prime Minister”, said one of the two affidavits, filed separately by the couple.

Kumaraswamy, 50, and his wife denied all the allegations levelled by advocate M Vinod Kumar in a special leave petition pending in the apex court. Kumar approached the top court after the Karnataka High Court had quashed the proceedings initiated against the politco couple by the Special Lokayukta Court last October. Kumar alleged that Kumaraswamy allotted 80 acres to Vishwabharthi House Building Cooperative Society Ltd on October 4, 2007, four days before demitting office as chief minister, as quid pro quo for a plot in favour of his wife through a sale deed on April 15, 2006.

“The complaint shows the said transfer of land has been cancelled vide cancellation deed dated 01.06.2006 more than one year and four months before the alleged illegal allotment by Kumaraswamy,” said the affidavit filed through Kumaraswamy’s lawyer, Prashant Kumar.

On the renewal of a mining lease that belonged to M/s Janthakal Enterprises, Kumaraswamy said the renewal was done under the auspices of the commissioner of mines and geology and not by him, while he was the chief minister.

“The complaint also was silent and failed to disclose what benefit has been derived from renewal of lease in favour of the Enterprises or where there was any loss and of what quantum suffered by the exchequer,” said the document.

The petitioner had filed the complaint against eight people, including H D Deve Gowda, H D Balakrishna Gowda and H D Revenna and their wives H Kavitha and Bhavani before the trial court. The court had dismissed the charges against five of them as the allegations were too ‘general’.  

According to the affadavit, the petition is rooted in a political vendetta, so as to harass and prosecute the family of the ex-prime minister.