Karnataka govt sets up SIT to probe sleazegate

BENGALURU: The State Government on Wednesday announced the setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the sleaze CD episode which had led to the resignation of Ramesh Jarkiholi as Water Resources minister on March 3. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday evening that the inquiry had been ordered based on Jarkiholi’s request, who had pointing out that the CD was defamatory and was a “conspiracy” to tarnish his image by accusing him of involvement in a purported sex-for-job scandal.

Bommai said the SIT will be headed by Additional Police Commissioner (West) Soumendu Mukherjee. “We have ordered setting up an SIT to investigate all the aspects of the case such as who is behind it, who hatched the conspiracy, where the CD (videos) was prepared,” he added. Bommai made the announcement after discussions with senior police officers and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

The Home Minister, in a communication to Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant on Wednesday, said Ramesh Jarkiholi had written to him on March 9 pointing out that a petition had been filed against him on March 2 at Cubbon Park police station which was defamatory and had alleged that a conspiracy was hatched against him. 

Ramesh Jarkiholi had referred to a complaint by social activist Dinesh Kallahalli, which was withdrawn four days later. The former minister had alleged that a ‘political leader’ was among the main conspirators and had claimed that nine people, including two women, were involved in the conspiracy and that they had got an apartment and Rs 2 crore each. He also alleged that about Rs 100 crore was spent on hatching the conspiracy to defame him. He had, however, refused to name the conspirators. 

On March 6, six ministers in B S Yediyurappa’s Cabinet — B C Patil, S T Somashekar, Dr K Sudhakar, Narayana Gowda, Shivaram Hebbar and Byrati Basavaraj — had approached a city court seeking temporary injunction on the telecast of  defamatory and unverified content against them. Minister S T Somashekar said there were other ministers too who also were apprehensive about it, but did not approach the courts due to fear of negative publicity.