Palace Board deputy director suspended in gold leaf scam

MYSURU: Nearly a year after the Lokayukta booked a case against Mysuru Palace Board deputy director T S Subramanya and nine others in connection with the gold leaf scam, the government suspended the official on Monday.
Tahasildar Johnson has been appointed officer-in-charge of the Palace Board, deputy commissioner C Shikha said confirming the suspension of Subramanya.
In June 2014, 10 persons – including deputy directors of the Palace Board who served between 2007 and 2012, engineers and contractors – were charged under various provisions of the IPC. The allegations against them included cheating and misuse of government funds. The Lokayukta had taken up a suo motu case based on a petition by a Nanjangud resident against Board authorities for criminal misconduct by public servants under the anti-corruption act.
Petitioner Javara had claimed that the board authorities misused public funds by doing substandard work at the Mysuru Palace.
Experts from the National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property, Lucknow, were called for an inspection. On their report, a criminal case was booked against the 10 persons.
The petitioner had claimed the work they did on the pillars at Durbar Hall was “a botch-up job that needs to be investigated.” Gold painting was badly done from a conservation point of view.
Sources claimed funds were released for the same work for three consecutive years and tenders floated in violation of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, 1999. The board authorities spent nearly Rs 3.5 crore for the project work during the period.