Lokayukta scam: Justice Rao seeks time to appear in court

 Former Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao on Tuesday sought time to appear before the Lokayukta Special Court in connection with the case of extortion and corruption in the corruption watchdog.

The Lokayukta court had issued summons after taking cognisance of the additional charge sheet filed by Special Investigation Team (SIT) naming Justice Rao an accused in the case pertaining to extortion and demand for bribe from M N Krishnamurthy, former Executive Engineer, Zilla Panchayat (Bengaluru Urban), on May 4, 2015, at the office of Joint Commissioner Lokayukta (PRO) Syed Riyaz in the Lokayukta office. 

The advocate representing Justice Rao filed an application seeking exemption quoting health issues and also that the summons was issued to him at a short notice. The advocate said that the SIT had named Justice Rao a witness in some other case and suddenly named him an accused in the Krishnamurthy case.

The special court judge posted the matter to September 23.

The SIT has filed a 560-page additional charge sheet in the case (56/2015) in which Justice Rao's son Yerabati Ashwin and Riyaz are the prime accused. Justice Rao has been named accused number seven in the case.

The SIT had pressed charges of abetment, destruction of evidence and attempting to save his son Ashwin, who ran an extortion racket from both the office and
the residence of the Lokayukta.

The charge sheet mentions that Justice Rao not only delayed enquiry when the incident was brought to his notice through a report by the then Lokayukta SP (City) Sonia Narang, but also made attempts to save his son.