Lokayukta Court on Thursday directed Lokayukta SP to register a case under section 156(3) of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) against Karnataka Home Minister R Ashok, accused of being involved in illegal denotification of government land.
CrPC 156 (3) says any magistrate empowered under section 190 (cognisance of offences by Magistrates) may order an investigation. Lokayukta Special Court Judge N K Sudhindra Rao also directed Lokayukta SP to investigate the matter and submit a report on the alleged illegal denotification of government land on November 5.
Jayakumar Hiremath, an RTI activist, had filed a complaint accusing Ashok of being involved in illegal denotification of government land causing an estimated loss of Rs 50 crore to the state exchequer.
Hiremath in his complaint said the minister allegedly denotified 9.12 guntas and 14 guntas (a gunta is 1/40 of an acre) of land belonging to the Bangalore Development Authority in Lottegollahalli when B S Yeddyurappa was the Chief Minister. Yeddyurappa is the second accused in the complaint.