SIT registers another FIR against Ashwin, Riyaz

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing corruption within the Lokayukta institution, on Monday registered one more FIR against Y Ashwin, son of Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, suspended Joint Commissioner (PRO) Syed Riyaz and V Bhaskar.

The FIR is registered based on the complaint filed by former Zilla Panchayat member and businessman P N Krishnamurthy. This is the third FIR against Ashwin and second against Riyaz and Bhaskar alias ‘420’ Bhaskar.

Krishnamurthy had filed the complaint with the SIT in July first week, even before the agency took up the investigation. He had stated that he was introduced to Ashwin by a person named Narasimha Rao in connection with a financial dispute with Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA Muniratna. Krishnamurthy had met Ashwin at a room on the eighth floor of a star hotel in UB City.

When the issue with Muniratna could not be resolved, Krishnamurthy again contacted Ashwin for getting a khata for his property in Koramangala (survey number 115/10). For this work, Ashwin demanded Rs 20 lakh and from September 19, 2014, Krishnamurthy paid Rs 10.91 lakh in seven instalments to Ashwin and Narasimha Rao.
The complaint states that on September 19, 2014, Krishnamurthy paid Rs five lakh to Ashwin at the star hotel room. On October 13 and 19, 2014, Rs 2 lakh each was paid to Narasimha Rao. Interestingly, Krishnamurthy claims to have credited Rs 50,000 on November 18, 2014 and Rs 40,000 on December 5, 2014, to Narasimha Rao’s ICICI bank account in Hyderabad.

Even as there was no progress in the issuance of khata, Krishnamurthy was asked to meet Ashwin at the Lokayukta office in January 2015. Krishnamurthy had gone to Riyaz’s chamber in the evening, where Ashwin, Riyaz and Narasimha Rao checked the original land documents in the conference hall. Later, Riyaz called someone and directed him to clear the khata process.

After 15 days, Krishnamurthy was asked to meet Narasimha Rao at another star hotel on Palace Road. This time, Narasimha Rao introduced Bhaskar as a friend of Ashwin and promised to get the work done. However, the khata work was never done.

The SIT has taken this part in the FIR and booked the accused under Sections 7, 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 384, 420 and 120 (b) of the IPC. The FIR has also named Narasimha Rao and Sadiq.