Welcoming the State Government’s decision to order a probe, State Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde said a thorough investigation into the matter, including the alleged inappropriate behaviour of former Ramanagaram Deputy Commissioner D K Rangaswamy, who is now Mass Education department director, could be completed within a fortnight.
Justice Hegde said the government could either appoint a judicial officer or entrust a senior officer to complete the probe. The Lokayukta had alleged that senior government functionaries were shielding Rangaswamy.
State Secretariat sources said the government issued a notification ordering a “disciplinary enquiry” into the allegations against Rangaswamy who, besides seeking sex from the widow Yamini Rao, had abused his position to convert a barren land into a cultivable land in October 2007 with the aim of benefitting Yamini. Subsequently, he undervalued the price of the land causing a loss of Rs 31.5 lakhs to the government.
Sources said after the Lokayukta wrote to former Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao in 2008 to initiate a probe, IAS officer, Tara Ajai Singh, in her capacity as additional chief secretary, had investigated the allegations of sexual harassment on the part of Rangaswamy. The probe, however, could not arrive at any conclusion since the evidence was not sufficient.
Asked why the government had not probed the allegations of misuse of authority by Rangaswamy, a senior officer said the present government is in no position to say why the previous government did not find it expedient to probe the matter.
Sources said Rangaswamy would not be suspended till such time that the enquiry is completed. “If an officer is suspended he will continue to draw 75 per cent of his salary. Besides, he is no position to tamper with the evidence since he is no longer the deputy commissioner of that particular district,” an official said.
Meanwhile, speaking to Deccan Herald, Yamini said Rangaswamy had misused his position as a government functionary. Weeping inconsolably, Yamini said the DC had influenced some people to file fake civil cases of land grabbing against her in Rajanakunte, Bidadi and Yelahanka.
She claimed that bogus revenue transfer certificates were prepared to “fix” her. Yamini admitted that Rangaswamy was a family friend till such time her husband was alive.
