Bring guilty to book swiftly in Madal case

Had Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai acted earlier on repeated complaints of corruption from various quarters, his government and party would perhaps not have faced the embarrassment that it is now having to face with the arrest of a BJP MLA’s son on graft charges. Last week, the Lokayukta announced that it had caught redhanded Madal Prashant, the Chief Accountant of BWSSB, while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 40 lakh, allegedly on behalf of his father Madal Virupakshappa, BJP MLA and Chairman of the State-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (KSDL). Subsequent raids on the houses of the father and son yielded about Rs 8 crore in cash. The bribe was allegedly demanded and accepted in relation to the supply of raw materials to KSDL. While Bommai has said that the Lokayukta has a free hand, events after the raid do not inspire much confidence. While Prashant and others accused were arrested, Virupakshappa, who is accused No 1, gave the police the slip and was absconding for five days, until he was granted anticipatory bail by the Karnataka High Court. Virupakshappa’s statement that he was not absconding but was very much at home raises questions as to why the police failed to arrest him. In fact, it has been pointed out that the MLA had even met the Chief Minister to submit his resignation as KSDL Chairman following the raids. Besides, the BJP, which always takes the moral high ground on the issue of corruption, also failed to suspend him from the party. All this naturally gives rise to suspicion that a major cover-up is under way.

The circumstances under which the bail was granted has opened a Pandora’s box with the Advocates Association of Bengaluru writing to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, expressing “serious concern” about the tainted MLA having been provided VIP treatment in obtaining bail. “The usual process in the High Court of Karnataka is that new matters of anticipatory bail take several days and weeks for posting. However, VIP matters are entertained overnight. This practice would lead to common man losing faith in judicial system,” the letter read. The bail has also been criticised because it was granted to a person who did not cooperate with the investigation and who has the ability to influence its outcome.

The Lokayukta, which was dormant for long, has suddenly woken up, raising hopes among the public that some fear would be instilled in the minds of the corrupt. This is also an opportunity for the anti-graft body, which itself was mired in various controversies in the past, to redeem itself by ensuring that the guilty are brought to book.