Karnataka - Mysore   

Commissioner to recommend transfer of case to CoD

MYSORE: The Commissioner of Police, Raveendranath, is planning to recommend the Director-General of Police to hand over the case involving Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Avadoota Datta Peetha to the Corps of Detectives (CoD).

The Swamiji has been charged with “forgery of documents” pertaining to land records.

The Vidyaranyapuram police arrested him during his 66th birthday celebrations at the ashram on Nanjangud road.

He was released immediately as he had obtained anticipatory bail and agreed to attend further inquiries regarding the matter.

A senior police official told The Hindu that the Commissioner was planning to hand over the case in view of “clinching evidence” with regard to the alleged forgery of documents by the Swamiji, executive head of Datta Peeta Trust in collusion with Mysore City Corporation (MCC) officials.

“The Commissioner is of the opinion that a “bigger agency” such as Corps of Detectives (CoD) has to investigate the case, as it needs the MCC officials to be summoned who have now been transferred elsewhere,” the official said.

According to records made available to The Hindu, Anil Kumar of “Village Palate”, a resort situated next to Datta Peetha is fighting a legal battle from the past several years alleging that the Swamiji had forged the documents of ownership pertaining to lands and also built a concrete structure on the disputed land.

Assistant Director, Land Records City Survey had also endorsed Mr. Kumar’s allegation in its letter dated May 15, 2008.

In his complaint before the police, Mr. Kumar stated that despite the directions of the Commissioner of MCC and the courts, the Department of Land Records had failed to conduct survey of the lands in question on one pretext or the other.

Finally at the behest of P. Manivannan, previous Commissioner of MCC, a survey of the land in question was conducted.

Subsequent to the submission of the survey report, the MCC refused to sanction the building plan on the alleged plot and withdrew licences granted to the trust earlier.

Based on Mr. Kumar’s complaint, the Vidyaranyapuram police filed a First Information Report on March 20, 2008.

According to the police, after a thorough investigation regarding the complaint, the investigation officer found that the claims made by the complainant were “genuine and land records have been forged and tampered with the connivance of the officials”.

The investigating officer filed the report to Mr. Manivannan, who wrote to the Police Commissioner to take further action.

A notice was served asking the Swamiji to appear in Nazarbad Police Station to question him on May 24.

Police officials said the Swamiji initially refused to receive the notice and demanded time till June 2.

“As the discrepancies in the records are glaring and the survey numbers are interchanged, we found substance in the complaint.

The Swamiji’s refusal to appear before the authorities forced the police to arrest him, they said.

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