I was offered Rs 40-cr to grant bail to former BJP minster Janardhan Reddy: Ex-CBI judge

News Network

August 27, 2019

Bengaluru, Aug 27: B Naga Maruti Sarma, former CBI special judge has deposed before the ACB court in Hyderabad principal special judge in the infamous cash-for-bail case and revealed he was offered Rs 40 crore for setting mining baron and former BJP minister Gali Janardhan Reddy free on bail.

The alleged bribe offer was made by then AP High Court registrar (enquiries) K Lakshmi Narasimha Rao reportedly on behalf of Gali’s men in April 2012. The mining baron was then under judicial custody at the Chanchalguda jail after his arrest in Sept 2011 by CBI in the illegal mining case.

“I rejected the offer outright and walked out of the house of the registrar,” Sarma, deposing as a witness, said. He later dismissed Gali’s bail plea, which was pending before him.

The case has now reached the trial stage and the ACB special court (Hyderabad), which recorded Sarma’s evidence, posted it to September 13 for further hearing. Gali was present in court during Sarma’s testimony and on the next hearing the mining baron’s counsel is likely to cross-examine him.

Sarma, in his deposition, said he was posted as the special judge of CBI court in Hyderabad in April 2011. “In the third week of April 2012, HC registrar Narasimha Rao had called me over the phone and conveyed his intent to visit me,” Sarma said.

“As he was my senior and also holding a higher post (HC registrar), I told him that I would visit him instead and took his address. On the morning of April 18, 2012, I went to his house. After general discussion, Narasimha Rao revealed about the ‘proposal’ to release Gali on bail. I refused his proposal and informed him that deviating from the path of the law is death for me. It was at this stage that Narasimha Rao revealed that Gali’s men were prepared to shell out Rs 40 crore for the favour. I bluntly refused his proposal and left his house,” the former CBI judge said.

Subsequently, Pattabhi Rama Rao, Sarma’s successor at the CBI court, had granted bail to the mining baron but was later caught in a joint operation by CBI and ACB officials while allegedly accepting the bribe. He was arrested and sent to jail. In July 2012, the ACB officials arrested Lakshmi Narasimha Rao too.

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No relief for Siddaramaiah in MUDA case as HC junks plea against Governor's sanction

News Network

September 24,2024

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed the petition filed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah against Governor Thawarchand Gehlot's decision to sanction the complaint and investigation against him in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case.

Justice M Nagaprasanna said the facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require an investigation.

The court has also said that the Governor's order approving sanction to investigate against Siddaramaiah under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act does not suffer from application of mind, instead has abundance of application of mind.

Meanwhile, the court rejected the request made by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi to stay the order of the court. The court has vacated the interim order passed on August 19. In the interim order the trial court was directed not to take any precipitative action against Siddaramaiah. On August 17, Governor had approved sanction under section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita ( BNSS), citing three applications.

The court said the private complainants were justified in registering the complaint and seeking approval from the governor.

Insofar as private complainants seeking sanction under section 17A, the court said the provision nowhere requires only a police officer to seek sanction from a competent authority. The court further said it is in fact the duty of the private complainants to seek such approval.

Earlier, The High Court had completed its hearing in the case on September 12, and reserved its orders. It had also directed a special court in Bengaluru to defer further proceedings and not to take any precipitative action against the Chief Minister.

The case pertains to allegations that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife B M Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru that had higher property value as compared to the location of her land that had been "acquired" by MUDA.

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