Karnataka govt moves SC on HC order

The Karnataka government has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the high court order to prosecute the chief secretary and another senior official on charge of "perjury and withholding" documents in Rs 2,250 crore Bangalore-Mysore expressway project.

The Karnataka high court, delivering the judgement on the four-lane Bangalore-Mysore infrastructure corridor (BMIC) project, had on May 3 directed the registrar general of court to file a complaint to prosecute chief secretary K K Mishra and undersecretary M Shivalinga Swamy, holding them guilty of "perjury".

The Karnataka high court had also quashed the government order constituting the expert committee and review committee to review the project and probe whether irregularities had taken place in allotment of land for the project, being executed by the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (Nice).

Following the court order, the state cabinet had decided to stand by the chief secretary "wholeheartedly" and move the apex court.

A division bench of the Karnataka high court, comprising Chief Justice Naudip Kumar Sodhi and justice B Padmaraj, had held they were clearly of the view that the change of stand by the government on the project was not because of fraud or misrepresentation but because "a new public works department minister sent a note on July 6, 2004, to his principal secretary, pointing out the allegations made by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, that excess land had been acquired."