04 December,2009 08:18 AM IST | | Imran Gowhar
Developer says MD of Karnataka Public Land Corp Limited demanded money for transferring ownership of land he bought in a govt auction
Builder Yusuf Shariff (43) of Umrah Developers situated in Vasanth Nagar accused IAS officer Manjula V, the managing director of Karnataka Public Land Corporation Limited of lodging a false complaint of obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public duties against him after he refused to cough up a Rs 20-lakh bribe.
Encroached land
Shariff recently purchased a piece of land in the Bangalore rural district from the government after winning it in an auction. Reportedly, when Shariff went to take possession of the property, villagers who had encroached on the land threatened him.
When Shariff brought the matter to Manjulas notice, she reportedly assured him she would help him with getting the land freed.
Speed money
However, Shariff says, when he reached her office, the IAS officer demanded a Rs 20 lakh bribe from him if he wanted the papers of the property to be transferred to his name. Shariff says he refused to pay up.
"Manjula told me that she had to bribe people to reach her post. And that now she was merely recovering what she had to pay earlier," said Shariff.
On November 26, the IAS officer confronted him in the district collector's office and told him to not enter her office.
"I tried to tell her that it was a public office, which was open to anyone. Moreover, I had come to see the enforcement officer, not her. She got angry and her security staff beat me up and threw me out of the building," Shariff said.
Filing a complaint
Later in the day, Shariff approached the Lokayukta and filed a complaint against Manjula.
C S Anand, police inspector, Ulsoor Gate police station, told this reporter that cases of criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint and voluntarily causing hurt have been registered against Manjula.
"Shariff and Manjula had some dispute involving money in the past. While Manjula has complained about Shariff's unseemly behaviour, he claims she has been demanding some money for transferring the property documents to his name," Anand said.
Did you know?
The Karnataka Land Revenue Act empowers the district collector to auction land owned by the state government and hand it to the highest bidder after fencing the auctioned property.
Also read: CBI custody for law board chief caught taking bribe
