Law Minister S. Suresh Kumar on Tuesday withdrew his resignation after Advocate-General S. Vijay Shankar cleared him of the charge that he had made a false claim in an affidavit to get a Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) site.
In his six-page opinion submitted to the Government, the Advocate-General has concluded that the allotment of the 50 x 80 site was in accordance with the rules.
Mr. Kumar, meanwhile, has returned the site to the BDA. In a letter to BDA Commissioner Pradeep Singh Kharola, Mr. Kumar made an appeal to take back the site allotted to him on May 19, 2011, at RMV Second Stage in the city
The Advocate-General said that “on the day on which the Minister executed the affidavit (June 22, 2009), no dependent member of his family owned a site or a house allotted by the BDA”.
“The property owned by the Minister’s mother is her self-acquisition. The purchase of a site by the daughter of the Minister is subsequent to the execution of the affidavit. By no stretch of the imagination can it be said that the contents of the affidavit suppresses fact which disentitles the Minister to allotment of a site,” the AG said.
Addressing presspersons at his residence, Mr. Kumar said, “The AG in his legal opinion has, after reviewing the documents, clearly said I have not done anything illegal. I have not given any wrong information in the affidavit to obtain the site.”
Mr. Kumar submitted his resignation to Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Saturday after media reports quoting an RTI applicant said he had made a false claim in an affidavit to get a BDA site under G category (under the Chief Minister’s discretionary quota). Mr. Gowda, who did not accept the resignation, had asked the Advocate-General for his opinion.
Mr. Kumar said the Chief Minister, State BJP president K.S. Eshwarappa and other senior leaders had asked him to withdraw his resignation. “I am a sincere soldier of the party. Respecting elders’ instructions, I am withdrawing my resignation.”
Mr. Kumar said he was thankful to Cabinet colleagues and Mr. Eshwarappa who stood by him and requested that he continue in the Ministry.
He said he was indebted to his voters, party workers and leaders. He was surprised by the “overwhelming support” he received in the past three days from people, particularly from his Rajajinagar Assembly constituency.