SC stays officials' prosecution

In a respite to Karnataka chief secretary K K Mishra, the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed his prosecution as directed by the high court, which held him liable for 'perjury and withholding' documents in the controversial Rs 2,250 crore Bangalore-Mysore expressway project.

A bench stayed the May 3 high court order pertaining to prosecution of the chief secretary and undersecretary M Shivalinga Reddy after their appeals.

The bench posted for Friday the hearing on the other appeals filed by the state government.

Delivering the judgement on the four-lane Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, the high court had directed the registrar general of the court to file a complaint to prosecute the senior bureaucrats under Section 344 of the CrPC after holding them guilty of "perjury".

The 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.

The Karnataka high court on May 3 had directed the Congress-JD(S) government to prosecute chief secretary K K Mishra and under-secretary M Shivalinga Swamy on charges of "perjury and withholding" documents in the Rs 2,250 crore Bangalore-Mysore express-way project.

The court also quashed the government order constituting committees to review the project and probe irregularities in land allotment for the project by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE).

On the same day, the state cabinet decided to stand by the chief secretary "whole-heartedly" and file an appeal against the Supreme Court's judgement concerning the two officials and on other issues in which the government explanation on the project was not accepted by the apex court.

The state had filed two appeals, one against the direction for prosecution of the senior bureaucrats and the other quashing the expert committee.