Complainant questioned non-issue of summons to former prime minister’s kin in land grab case.
The high court on Monday adjourned to October 17 the hearing of a petition filed by advocate Vinod Kumar questioning the Lok Ayukta Special Court’s non issuance of process (summonses) to former prime minister, HD Deve Gowda, and his family members.
In his private complaint before Lok Ayukta Special Court, Kumar had alleged that they had usurped large tracts of land. He also said Gowda’s son HD Kumaraswamy had favoured Vishwabharathi Housing Cooperative Society in a land denotification case. The society had, in turn, allotted a site to Anitha, Kumaraswamy’s wife.
Kumar alleged that Deve Gowda, sons HD Balakrishna and HD Revanna, Kavitha, wife of Balakrishna, and Bhavani, wife of Revanna, had usurped lands. While the trial court judge, on August 8, directed Kumaraswamy and his wife to appear before the court, he did not issue the process to Deve Gowda and his family members.
Hence, Kumar filed a petition in the high court urging the court to direct the Lok Ayukta Special Court judge to take cognizance against Deve Gowda and his other kith and kin and further set aside the August 8 order.
Kumar, in his private complaint, had alleged that Gowda and his family members usurped 82 acres 4 guntas of government land, which included gomala land, tank bed and inam land in Hassan district.
Bhavani and her sons purchased 17 acres 27 guntas in Hole Narasipura taluk in violation of the Land Reforms Act. Deve Gowda purchased 24 acres 31 guntas from small and poor farmers in Kethimaranahalli and Bidai Hobli.
Kumaraswamy got gifted property measuring 22 acres 6 guntas from his aunt who had purchased it illegally from a grantee belonging to scheduled caste. The purchase was in gross violation of Prevention of Certain Lands Act, which was specifically codified to protect poor and unsuspecting persons.
The family members had falsely stated that they were residents of Mysore and got 46 sites allotted for them in Saraswathipura, Gangothri, T Koppal and Kesare during the tenure of Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy.
An enquiry conducted by the then divisional commissioner of Mysore showed that the grants made were in violation of law.
Petitioner Kumar said the files pertaining to the grant had also disappeared.
All these allegations were supported by documentary evidence, Kumar said, adding that the trial judge failed to take note of the same.
The non issuance of process by the trial judge was because of the non-application of mind, he added.
The case was posted for early hearing on Monday. It had come up before justice V Jagannathan who adjourned the case to October 17.
HDK wants whole family summoned
The high court has adjourned the case filed by former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy challenging the summonses issued to him by the special Lok Ayukta court to October 17.
The former chief minister said that summonses should have been issued to all the accused—Deve Gowda, his brothers HD Balakrishna and HD Revanna, Balakrishna’s wife Kavitha and Revanna’s wife Bhavani.
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