Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force files FIR against Shettar for land allotment

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) on Thursday filed an FIR against opposition leader Jagadish Shettar for allegedly violating land revenue rules while allotting prime land in Bangalore city to an individual in April 2013.
Based on a complaint filed by A Prasad, director of Karnataka Vokkaligara Sangha, IPC Section 420 and other laws in Karnataka Land Revenue Act have been invoked against Shettar, Sundaresh (beneficiary) and revenue department officials.
Shettar has been accused of sanctioning 4 acres in Srigandadakaval, which was earmarked for public and semi-public purposes, to Sundaresh. He is said to have signed the file after the calendar of events for legislative assembly polls were notified.
Prasad alleged that the land was valued as an agricultural land at Rs 1.5 crore per acre and Sundaresh was asked to remit Rs 6 crore, while the real market value is estimated at Rs 80 crore.
Prasad questioned the rationale behind sanctioning the land within 12km radius of Bangalore city, when the Karnataka Land Grant Rules prohibits sanctioning of land with a radius of 16km. The land was sanctioned to the Sangha in 1967, he said.
He said that the land sanctioned to Sundaresh was part of 47.11 acres in Srigandadakaval which belonged to Sangha and Golden Valley Education Trust.
?Congress-sponsored complaint'
Shettar told TOI he allotted the land in accordance with law and as per a court direction. "This is a Congress-sponsored complaint against me. The issue has cropped up after I raked up the denotification of land in Arkavathy Layout by chief minister Siddaramaiah. I won't yield to such tactics and will continue to fight against the CM," he said.