The Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) on Thursday registered a case of cheating against Prakashnath Swami, the managing director of Balagangadharnath Swami Global Institute of Medical Sciences, for allegedly getting eight acres of government land at Gangasandra village of Kengeri Hobli in Bangalore South Taluk under the Bagair Hukum land allotment scheme through fraudulent means.
According to the BMTF sources, the case dates back to 2000-01 when Prakashnath had not joined the Swami order and was known as Shekhar alias Shekharappa. He had got four acres of land each in two different survey numbers of 34 and 36 in Gangasandra village under the Bagair Hukum scheme, meant to provide a maximum of four acres of land to the landless farm labourers or marginal farmers who have less than four acres of land. The scheme also restricts people from selling it within 15 years of its allotment.
Based on a complaint by Lakshminarayana, a resident of Channasandra, the case was registered under the relevant sections of the IPC including Section 420. The complainant stated that Swami gave two different names for separate allotment. The four acres of land (survey number 34) was allotted to Shekhar, son of Ramegowda while another four acres were allotted to Shekharappa alias Honnegowda. According to the complainant, Shekhar and Shekharappa are the same person-- Prakashnath Swami.
Lakshminarayana's another accusation is that Swami was never a farmer, let alone marginal or landless farm labourer. The third allegation on Swami is that he sold the land in 2010, which was the tenth year of allotment of land to Kul Construction.
On Thursday, Swami appeared before the BMTF investigating officer where he reportedly admitted that he did get four acres of land in survey number 34 but he expressed his ignorance about another four acres of land in survey number 36 saying he never impersonated as Shekharappa and never changed the name of his father for personal gain.
Ashoka in soup again
It has come to light that the former deputy chief minister and Padmanabhanagar MLA R Ashoka had allotted the piece of land to Swami.
As Uttarahalli MLA from 1995 to 2008, he had headed the Bagair Hukum land allotment committee in which Bangalore South Tahsildar was the secretary. There is every likelihood that the BMTF may register a case against him for granting land to Prakashnath Swami.
In a similar case, the BMTF had registered a case against him two years ago along with former Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy and his wife K Prabha. Ashoka has been charged with granting four acres of land each to the Murthys.
While Venkatesh Murthy showed himself as a landless farm labourer in government records, his wife Prabha hid the fact that she was Murthy's wife. Instead, she mentioned herself as Kenchappa's daughter and not Murthy's wife.
