Aiyappa remanded in judicial custody

The Special Lokayukta Court on Thursday remanded Bangalore Rural Deputy Commissioner M K Aiyappa in judicial custody till Friday.

Aiyappa and three others (K Gopalaswamy, the Special Tahasildar of Bangalore North, N Balakrishnamurthy, Revenue Inspector of Arakere Circle and K V Ravikumar, Sub-registrar of Hesaraghatta) had been remanded in police custody for 24 hours on Wednesday and were produced before Judge N K Sudhindra Rao on Thursday.

Bail applications were filed on behalf of Aiyappa and the others. Aiyappa was arrested by the Lokayukta police on Wednesday in a case related to fabrication of documents and illegal grant of government land to a private person.

Senior counsel M T Nanaiah, who is representing Aiyappa, sought bail stating that Aiyappa was not a vagabond and there was no threat of him leaving the country.
“The land in question was also restored back to the government. There is not an iota of evidence to point out that he was responsible for the allegations made against him,” the counsel argued.

The Lokayukta Special Public Prosecutor K K Sitaram will file objections on Friday. Aiyappa faces allegations that he helped transfer 32 acres and four guntas of government land in Madappanahalli village in Hesaraghatta hobli of Bangalore North taluk to one Narasimhaiah, who later sold it to relatives and aides of Yelahanka MLA Vishwanath for Rs 6.95 crore.

Sources in the Lokayukta said that the Income Tax Department was investigating those who purchased the land from Narasimhaiah regarding their sources of income and had served notices on them.

Lokayukta sources said that he was not co-operating with the police during investigations. Repeated notices sent to Aiyappa were not replied to. To a notice sent on Monday, Aiyappa allegedly replied that he was a busy man and not free for the rest of the year.