Will Katta go to Jail?

Lokayukta police sent a request to the Governor for sanction to charge sheet Katta Subramanya Naidu in land scam cases, clearing way for possible arrest

Will Katta go to Jail?

Lokayukta police sent a request to the Governor for sanction to charge sheet Katta Subramanya Naidu in land scam cases, clearing way for possible arrest

If the Lokayukta police have their way with Katta Subramanya Naidu, will he bear the dubious distinction as the first minister (now resigned for the same case) in the history of Karnataka, to be imprisoned under corruption charges?

Strong possibility? Will Katta Subramanya Naidu be the first former
minister in the history of Karnataka to be imprisoned under corruption
charges? File Pic

The Lokayukta police sent a request to Governor H R Bharadwaj yesterday for sanction to charge sheet Katta Subramanya in seven cases of land scam. The Governor's nod however, is expected in a day or two. Sources in the Lokayukta said there was a possibility of arresting Katta Subramanya and if the court allows judicial custody, he will have to go behind bars.

"Today our police have sent requisition to the Governor. We hear that they had sent the draft charge sheet along with the evidence against Katta Subramanya and his son Katta Jagadish Naidu and further procedure will follow," said Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde. Katta Subramanya had resigned from his position as a minister after the land scams linking him and his corporator-son were unearthed last year.

The father-son duo is accused of pocketing thousands of crores in the form of compensation paid out by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) by showing them as owners of government land. There were many instances of document forgery to avail compensation meant for the actual owners of several acres of farmland.

While Katta Jagadish had been sent to jail in a case related to bribing a main witness, he had obtained
a stay order from the High Court against the FIR filed by the Lokayukta police against him and his father. The court vacated the stay a week ago clearing the deck for the police to prosecute them. As a procedure, the police have to get sanction of the Governor to try Subramanya Naidu, who was a minister when the case was booked. And urban secretary is the sanctioning authority in the case of Jagadish Naidu as he is a sitting member of Bruhat Bangalore Maha Nagara Palike (BBMP) council.

Hegde said that the police would not arrest anyone if they were confident that the person would cooperate with them during the investigation. In this case however, there are fears that evidence could be tampered with or the person may abscond. "In Katta Subramanya Naidu's case, it is up to our police to decide on his arrest. I hope they take the most appropriate step," he added. When this reporter attempted to contact Katta Subramanya and Katta Jagadish, both were unavailable for comment.