Case against Lokayukta B'lore Urban SP, DC referred to Lokayukta police

The Special Lokayukta Court on Monday referred a case involving Bangalore Urban Deputy Commissioner M K Aiyappa and Lokayukta Bangalore Urban Superintendent of Police (SP) P K Shivashankar to the Lokayukta police for investigation.

Judge N K Sudhindra Rao referred the case under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure and directed the police to submit a report on November 7.

Unlike other cases which are referred to the SP for registering a case and investigation, this case has been referred to the Lokayukta Additional Director of Police (ADGP) H N Sathyanarayana Rao, since he heads the district unit.

The police will now have to register a first information report (FIR) against their own SP and conduct the investigation.

Rao said they were likely to register the FIR in another district and transfer it to Bangalore Urban for investigation.

The complainant R Srinivasmurthy had alleged that Shivashankar had leaked information to Aiyappa about an attempt to lodge a complaint against him with the Lokayukta police.
Two others, Rajeshwari, a case worker in the DC’s office, and Gayathri, a petitioner in a revision petition, have also been named in the complaint as accused.

In his complaint, Srinivasmurthy stated that a revision petition was filed before Aiyappa pertaining to the ownership of land measuring 1.24 acres.

Aiyappa proceeded to post the case for orders after receiving the ‘vakalath’ and without providing any opportunity to the petitioners to file objections or even to hear the case on merit. Further, Aiyappa failed to direct Gayathri, the opposite party, to serve a petition copy in the court.

All this was done, the complainant alleged, in a bid to favour Gayathri.  When Srinivasmurthy tried to obtain the petition copies, case worker Rajeshwari, on behalf of Aiyappa, told Srinivasmurthy to pay a bribe of Rs 3 lakh per acre to get a favourable order. This demand was recorded on the cell phone of the complainant. When he went to lodge a complaint with the Lokayukta office against the DC, the complainant alleged that the information was leaked to the DC almost immediately.

The complainant alleged that the incident raised the suspicion that Shivashankar, as head of the City Lokayukta police, had not maintained secrecy.

The offences will be investigated for offences under Section 16 of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act and Sections 221 and 225A of the Indian Penal Code.