letters@hindustantimes.com
Bengaluru A special court in Bengaluru on Wednesday directed the Karnataka Lokayukta police to register an FIR in connection with a private individual’s complaint of corruption against former chief minister BS Yediyurappa (BSY), his son BY Vijayendra and other family members as well as a sitting minister, among others.
The former CM has dismissed the allegations.
“Today, the learned Special Court established to try offences against MPs’/MLAs’ has passed an Order for investigation U/S 156(3) Cr.Pc. PCR No.40/2021, mandating the Lokayukta Police to file the F.I.R.....” said a statement by the complainant TJ Abraham.
The case pertains to a Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) tender floated in 2017 for various development projects. According to Abraham, while the original tender was for ₹567 crore, the contractor gave a quote of ₹675 crore and officials brought it down to ₹666.22 crore to make it appear as though there was a negotiation.
Abraham further alleged that Vijayendra sought ₹12 crore as kickbacks in multiple instalments through WhatsApp which have since been submitted to the court as evidence. He added that over ₹5.1 crore was laundered through seven shell companies that operate from a single building in Kolkata.
Aside from BSY and Vijayendra, the complaint also named the cooperation minister and former BDA chairman ST Somashekar; the former CM’s grandson Shashidhar Maradi; son-in-law Virupakshappa Yamakanamaradi; Sanjay Shree, the son-in-law of BSY’s daughter Padmavathi; BDA contractor Chandrakantha Ramalingam; former BDA commissioner GC Prakash and K Ravi, the proprietor of the 37th Crescent Hotel)
{{/usCountry}}Aside from BSY and Vijayendra, the complaint also named the cooperation minister and former BDA chairman ST Somashekar; the former CM’s grandson Shashidhar Maradi; son-in-law Virupakshappa Yamakanamaradi; Sanjay Shree, the son-in-law of BSY’s daughter Padmavathi; BDA contractor Chandrakantha Ramalingam; former BDA commissioner GC Prakash and K Ravi, the proprietor of the 37th Crescent Hotel)
{{/usCountry}}The complaint was filed under sections 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and under sections 378, 383, 384, 415, 418, 420, 34 & 120-B of the Indian Penal Code,1860, Abraham said.
“Supporting the allegations regarding ₹12.5 crore – the transcript of WhatsApp conversations between 10th July 2019 and 15th July 2020, between the Contractor Ramalingam and Sri.Shashidar Maradi the grandson of the Chief Minister, it can be established that there were payments of ₹1.5 Crore + ₹1 Crore + ₹1 Crore + ₹7.4 Crore + ₹1.6 Crore, totalling to ₹12.5 Crores made to the grandson of the (then) Chief Minister,” Abraham’s statement said.
“There is no truth to this. I will come out of all this. All of this is very common and I won’t break my head over it,” Yediyurappa told reporters after the ongoing legislative session in Bengaluru on Wednesday.