Bengaluru: Katta Jr files papers from Hebbal, has 5 criminal cases

Once jailed for corruption, former BBMP corporator Katta Jagadeesh K S is now running for MLA from the Hebbal constituency in northern Bengaluru.

On Thursday, he filed his nomination papers on the BJP ticket from a seat once represented by his father and former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu. Bangalore North MP, D V Sadananda Gowda, was among those who accompanied him.

Jagadeesh got the BJP ticket at the last minute. Until then, he was in a tight race with former MLA, Y A Narayanaswamy. Katta Sr was also in the fray.

While Jagadeesh, 43, has age on his side, his arrest and imprisonment in 2011 still weigh on his political career.

In his affidavit, Jagadeesh specified that five criminal cases are pending against him. Three of them were filed by the Lokayukta and one by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The fifth is an attempted murder case where police also invoked the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Lokayukta cases pertain to the KIADB land scam. He is accused of bribing public servants and other offences. A special court discharged him in one of these cases, clearing him of the offence under Section 10 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court, however, ruled that he would still be tried for offences under Sections 214 and 109 of the IPC.

Accordingly, the case was re-registered before the 39th ACMM court under IPC Sections 214 (offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender) and 109 (punishment for abetment).

The ED case was registered under Sections 3 (money laundering) and 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

As per Jagadeesh’s affidavit, charges have not been framed in any of the cases.

Jagadeesh has assets worth Rs 18.45 crore and liabilities of Rs 9.17 crore. His wife has assets worth Rs 1.21 crore and liabilities of Rs 22.3 lakh.