Ravindranath moves High Court against probe order

Bangalore: 12/07/2012: New cabinet minister Ravindra at the Swearing In Ceremony at Rajbhavan in Banglore on 12,July,2012. Photo: V Sreenivasa Murthy

The former Minister S.A. Ravindranath has moved the Karnataka High Court questioning the probe ordered by the Davangere Special Lokayukta Court against him, based on a private complaint that he misused his office to allot sites to his kith and kin through the Davangere–Harihar Urban Development Authority.

The Special Court had ordered the Lokayukta police to investigate the allegations by Manikanta Sarkar, president of the Davangere district unit of the Sri Rama Sene, who filed the complaint in early 2013.

It was alleged that Mr. Ravindranath, who was Davangere district in-charge Minister then, had misused his office and had connived with officials to ensure allotment of sites in DHUDA-formed residential layouts.

In his petition before the High Court, Mr. Ravindranath contended that the Special Court could not have proceeded against him without prior sanction for his prosecution as he was a public servant at the time of filing of the private complaint.

Justice S.N. Satyanarayana adjourned further hearing till February 28, awaiting service of notice to the complainant.

Data on land

The State government on Tuesday told the Karnataka High Court that 76 per cent of data related to total acreage of land in every taluk generating land revenue and not generating land revenue on account of being properties of the State, and of ‘A’ and ‘B’ categories of kharab land had been collected so far. Additional Advocate-General H. Kantharaja, submitting a report in this regard, sought more time as officials were facing difficulties in collecting data owing to mutilated records, illegible records and missing documents. The court had sought these details to create an IT tool to prevent formation of unauthorised layouts and illegal transaction of government or granted lands.

Justice Ram Mohan Reddy, who is monitoring the process of compilation of land data through a petition, was not satisfied with the progress made. The order on data collection was issued in July 2013. Further hearing on the matter has been adjourned. Senior IAS officer Rajiv Chawla is acting as a court commissioner in this matter.