Impending surgery earns Katta reprieve from Lok Ayukta court

Lok Ayukta special court on Friday adjourned the hearing of corruption charges against Katta Subramanya Naidu after the resident medical officer (RMO) of Victoria Hospital submitted that the former minister had to undergo an operation.

Judge NK Sudhindra Rao adjourned the hearing to September 19. The RMO, Dr Kantharaj, told the court that Katta needed to undergo clinical cervical discectomy.

The RMO said Katta would be treated under general anaesthesia and would have to be in the hospital’s ward for seven days. The RMO said Dr Balaji Pai, professor and head of department of neurosurgery, Victoria Hospital, had recommended the surgery.

The RMO had submitted an application in this regard along with a medical certificate and a copy of Katta’s medical history, comprising 15 pages. Judge Rao accepted the application and adjourned the hearing. He directed the medical authorities to keep the court informed about the former minister’s medical progress.

The former minister, his corporator son Katta Jagadish, and Srinivas, managing director of ITASKA Software, are facing charges of corruption in KIADB land allotment scam. They have been accused of irregularities in allotting KIADB land in BK Halli village to the software company, which had reportedly been floated by an aide of the senior Naidu.

Earlier, judge Rao had pronounced his verdict on the case and sent all the three accused to judicial custody. The three had then filed a petition in Karnataka high court, challenging the verdict and sought bail on medical grounds, which was rejected.