Karnataka’s Excise Minister H.Y. Meti submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday following an allegation of sexual misconduct. His resignation has been accepted.
Mr. Meti’s resignation came soon after local television channels started telecasting blurred footage allegedly of him seen with a woman in a compromising position.
The controversy was brewing since Sunday, when Rajashekhar, an RTI activist, alleged that the Minister had sought sexual favour from a woman in return for a transfer. However, there were contradictory reports on who the woman was.
The Congress had taken a stand that “appropriate action” would be taken only if charges are proved against Mr. Meti and concrete evidence is available in the form of a CD. The Opposition BJP was accusing the government of shielding Mr. Meti and attempting to hush up the issue.
The issue had become an embarrassment to the Congress and the government, as it surfaced within a month after Minister for Primary and Higher Education Tanvir Sait was allegedly caught viewing objectionable pictures of women on his mobile phone during Tipu Jayanti celebration.
Mr. Meti has said he had resigned to "save embarrassment" to the Chief Minister and had requested the latter to order a probe. The case has been referred to the CID.
