Filing of charge sheet delayed as Lokayukta seeks PSO against MP

The Lokayukta police’s decision to seek prosecution sanction order (PSO) against Bellary MP B Sriramulu in a case of land grabbing, pertaining to his erstwhile office as MLA of Bellary Rural, has resulted in unnecessary delay in filing the charge sheet.

The case pertains to grabbing of 27.25 acres, including government land. The Lokayukta police have already received PSOs against the other accused in the case, including the then tahsildar who is charged with creating bogus entries to favour Sriramulu.

The state government recently cleared the PSO against the then tahsildar Shashidar Bagali. The letter of PSO, issued in the first week of June 2017, states that Bagali had created fake mutation entries to favour Sriramulu. Sources said that the PSOs against other government officials in the case have also been cleared.

However, with regard to Sriramulu, the Lokayukta police have written to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha since he is presently an MP. “Though Sriramulu was an MLA and he has demitted that office and a new Assembly is in place, it was decided to seek the PSO from the Lok Sabha Speaker,” an official said.

In the past, Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly had in several instances made it clear that the question of according PSO against any member of the House does not arise. When he was the Speaker, Kagodu Thimmappa had returned several such files stating that MLAs are elected and appointed by the public, hence a PSO cannot be issued.

On a private complaint filed by G Krishnamurthy, a senior citizen from Ballari, a special court had ordered the Lokayukta police to conduct investigation into the case. The Lokayukta police had found that government officials had connived to help Sriramulu grab government land and also land belonging to several private individuals. The land in question is at Cowl Bazar area in Hosapete-Ballari bypass road. The Lokayukta police investigation had revealed that as an MLA and also as a minister in the BJP government in 2009, Sriramulu had misused his office and influenced officials to tweak the original records.