Karnataka - Bangalore   

Katta Jagadish arrested for graft

Katta Jagadish

BANGALORE: In a new development in the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in payment of compensation for acquisition of land by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board, the Lokayukta police on Thursday arrested Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu's son, Katta Jagadish, for allegedly bribing a witness connected to the investigation.

Mr. Jagadish, who is also a Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike councillor, has been accused of giving Ramanjanappa, a resident of R.K. Nagar, a sum of Rs. 1 lakh. Ramanjanappa, who is himself a recipient of compensation from the KIADB is also in the know about alleged irregularities in the payment of compensation for land acquired by the KIADB. Mr. Jagadish is the second BBMP councillor to be arrested by the Lokayukta police.

According to Additional Director-General of Police (Lokayukta) Rupak Kumar Dutta, Ramanjanappa has been helping the Lokayukta police in the investigation of five cases registered in connection with the irregularities in the payment of compensation. For the last few days Mr. Jagadish had been pestering Ramanjanappa against giving any evidence to the Lokayukta police, Mr. Dutta said. On September 28, Mr. Jagadish called Ramanjanappa to a hotel and offered him Rs. 1 lakh. He asked Ramanjanappa to collect the money from his house in Sadashivanagar on Thursday. Mr. Jagadish stays with his father.

Complaint filed

Ramanjanappa approached the Lokayukta police and filed a complaint on Wednesday. The next day, Ramanjanappa met Mr. Jagadish at his office in Gandhinagar. Mr. Jagadish telephoned one Kumar, who stays in his Sadashivanagar house, and asked him to pay Rs. 1 lakh to Ramanjanappa.

A Lokayukta police team entered Mr. Jagadish's house just as Ramanjanappa was receiving the money from Kumar. “Seeing the police team, Kumar ran away,” Mr. Dutta said. Immediately after this incident, another Lokayukta police team arrested Mr. Jagadish from his Gandhinagar office. Mr. Jagadish has been accused of committing offences under Section 10 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code.

“The offence is of abetting a private person to influence a public servant (Lokayukta). He [Jagadish] had also attempted to efface evidence made out against him,” Mr. Dutta said. The Lokayukta police questioned Mr. Jagadish for nearly four hours atthe Lokayukta police premises . He was later produced before the Special Judge for Lokayukta cases. A large number of supporters of Katta Subramanya Naidu and his son were present at the Lokayukta office, including a team of lawyers, who had come to represent Mr. Jagadish.

‘Political conspiracy'

Minister for IT, BT and BWSSB Katta Subramanya Naidu has said that his son's arrest is a political conspiracy. He told The Hindu: “I am confident of getting justice from the State Lokayukta.”

Soon after the arrest, Mr. Naidu called on Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and explained his stand.

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