BDA goes to police against own officials over fake RTI reply

Never issued damning RTI document against BMTF chief, agency tells cops

 The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has lodged a police complaint against some of its unidentified officials and those in the Urban Development Department for “fabricating” RTI documents against a senior police officer.

The complaint filed at the Seshadripuram police station on April 12 says the documents were fabricated with the “mala fide intent” of maligning Additional Director General of Police Dr RP Sharma.

The story goes back to 2012 when the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) started investigating the Rs 1,539-crore fake bill scam and arrested a BBMP executive engineer named Idaya Vendon.

A few days after the arrest, former mayors — P R Ramesh, Huchchappa J, M Ramachandrappa and K H N Simha — petitioned Amita Prasad, the then principal secretary of Urban Development Department, on August 9, 2012. They accused Dr Sharma, who was heading the BMTF then, of building a house in the BDA limits without the agency’s approval. They attached an “RTI reply by the BDA” that stated that it hadn’t sanctioned the building plan. The letter was sent to the chief minister’s office for appropriate action the same day. The file was then moved to the BDA commissioner for further action.

Since the BMTF was entrusted with checking the violations of BBMP, BDA and BMRDA rules, the state government removed Dr Sharma on the grounds that a person accused of violating the building plan cannot carry out an investigation against himself. When Dr Sharma moved the High Court and the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) against the transfer, the government made the forged RTI document the evidence against him. The tribunal, however, quashed the transfer and reinstated Dr Sharma.

Dr Sharma later sought documents about his transfer under the RTI, and the BDA replied that the entire RTI document was fabricated.