Bengaluru: Two including Energy Minister’s special officer, held for taking bribe
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Lokayukta Police have arrested two persons, including the special officer to the state’s Energy Minister, for allegedly accepting a bribe to grant approval for an electricity connection.
The arrested have been identified as Jyothi Prakash, Executive Engineer with the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) and special officer to Energy Minister K.J. George, and his car driver Naveen.
According to Lokayukta officials, the duo was caught red-handed while receiving a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a complainant. The operation was carried out by a team led by Lokayukta SP Shivaprakash Devaraju.
Officials said the complainant, identified as K.M. Anantharaju, a resident of Byadarahalli, had applied for an electricity connection for a residential layout construction project. Jyothi Prakash had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to issue the No Objection Certificate (NOC) required for the power connection.
After Anantharaju lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta, a trap was laid and both Jyothi Prakash and Naveen were arrested while accepting Rs 50,000 as part of the bribe amount.
The Lokayukta police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.
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Former minister C M Ibrahim announces to launch new regional party for Karnataka
Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.
The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.
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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.
His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.
