The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : What they did not reveal in declaration of assets

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Saturday, Jun 14, 2008
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What they did not reveal in declaration of assets

Raghava M.

Lokayukta files complaints against three MLAs, one ex-MLA

Lokayukta inquired into complaints filed by people
All four charged under Section 177 of the IPC

BANGALORE: While one legislator fails to mention that he is a partner in a firm running a hotel in Hospet, another declares that he possesses only 50 grams of gold when he actually owns a kilo of the precious metal. A legislator, who has been accused for the second time, has failed to give details of the bank deposits and some properties owned by him.

These are among the highlights of the complaints filed by the Lokayukta against three MLAs and a former Congress MLA who have been accused of giving false declarations of assets and liabilities. The accusation has been made against two Congress MLAs — Santosh S. Lad (Kalghatgi) and C.P. Yogeshwar (Channapatna) — BJP MLA V.C. Charantimath (Bagalkot) and former Congress MLA A.V. Umapathi (Holalkere). Mr. Lad, Mr. Yogeshwar and Mr. Charantimath have been elected to the 13th Assembly too.

All the four were charged with an offence under Section 177 of the Indian Penal Code after the Lokayukta inquired into complaints filed by people. Registrar of the Lokayukta L. Subramanya filed complaints before the 8th Additional City Metropolitan Magistrate Court on May 28. The Hindu got copies of the complaints from the Lokayukta under the Right to Information Act.

Mr. Lad, who is also a leading mine owner from Sandur in Bellary district, has been charged with not stating, in his declarations for 2006 and 2007, the reconstruction of partnership deeds in relation to the firm Nagarjuna Residency, which runs a hotel in Hospet. The deeds mention that each of the incoming partners shall bring in Rs. 50 lakh for improvement of the hotel business.

Second instance

Mr. Yogeshwar, who is being accused for the second time in successive years, has been charged with not revealing a property purchased by him in Channapatna for Rs. 40 lakh in 2006. He has also been accused of not declaring 1.25 acres of land owned jointly by his wife, Manjukumari, and him and 2.34 acres of land in his wife’s name. He has been accused of not giving details of bank deposits in accounts maintained in Apex Bank, the Legislators’ Home and State Bank of India, Channapatna.

Mismatch

In the case of Mr. Charantimath, it was revealed that he had declared to the Lokayukta that he possessed 50 grams of gold in his statement for 2004, while stating that he possessed 100 tolas of gold in the affidavit filed in the same year before the Election Officer. He has been accused of not mentioning a Rs. 5-lakh loan taken from the Government for the purchase of a motorcycle in 2005.

Mr. Umapathi has been accused of not mentioning in his statement for 2004-05 and 2005-06 the purchase of a building in Chitradurga for Rs. 20 lakh and another property in Chitradurga for Rs. 6.12 lakh. He did not reveal his purchase of a site in Chitradurga for Rs. 15 lakh. He did not reveal two LIC policies for Rs. 1 lakh and deposits in four Chitradurga banks and the Apex Bank branch in the Vidhana Soudha.

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