Corruption rampant in Govt offices: Karnataka HC
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has denied bail to a Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) official stating that there was rampant corruption in government offices.
"Now-a-days, in the Government office, corruption has become rampant and no file will be moved without any bribe. Therefore, I am of the view that the petitioner is not entitled for the grant of bail at this stage," Justice K Natarajan said while denying bail to B T Raju, an assistant engineer at BDA.
BDA had allegedly used land belonging to Suvvalal Jain and Suresh Chand Jain for a road without proper acquisition proceedings. An application for an alternative site in lieu of the land was filed by their GPA (General Power of Attorney) holder Manjunath.
Raju allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs one crore, negotiated it down to Rs 60 lakh and was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs five lakh in cash on June seven, 2022.
The application by Manjunath was filed in November 2021 before the BDA which was moved to the Additional Land Acquisition Officer and thereafter to the Surveyor and then Executive Engineer (West), and finally on January three, 2022 before Raju.
Raju allegedly kept it pending till the day of his trapping by the ACB and his arrest six months later.
The ACB had trapped Raju accepting bribe in a car. It had earlier secured a call recording where he demanded the bribe.
"The telephonic conversation and the hand wash made by the ACB, all reveal that the petitioner accepted the tainted notes wherein the police smeared phenolphthalein powder," the HC said dismissing Raju's bail plea.
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Chhattisgarh: Two killed, six injured in centring frame crash at under-construction building
Raipur, Jan 11: Two workers were killed and six others injured when a centring frame collapsed during the laying of a slab at an under-construction building in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Saturday, police said.
The incident occurred in Vishal Nagar area on VIP Road where a multi-storey building is being constructed, Raipur Additional Superintendent of Police Lakhan Patle told PTI.
As per preliminary information, a slab was being laid on 8th floor of the building around 3:30 PM when the centring frame crashed and fell on the ground, he said.
"Eight workers who were trapped under the debris of iron bars and construction material, were evacuated and admitted to different hospitals. Of them, two succumbed to injuries in the hospital," he said.
Police had earlier said 10 injured workers were injured in the incident.
Of the six injured, the condition of one is stated to be serious, Raipur Superintendent of Police Lal Umed Singh said.
Soon after being alerted, police and district administration personnel rushed to the spot and launched a rescue exercise wherein State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was later involved, he said.
As per information, no worker is trapped under the debris but more clarity will be had after the debris is cleared over the next few hours, the SP said.
The under-construction project belongs to a private real estate firm, which has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to kin of each of the deceased, officials said.
Pradyum, a labourer, said he was working on the ground floor when he heard a loud sound of metals falling to the ground.
"Some workers fell from the top where slab laying work was underway. Some workers who were at the ground got trapped under the debris. I and others present got involved in pulling them out," he said.
Meanwhile, some workers, on condition of anonymity, said the site did not have safety measures.
Queried about this aspect, SP Singh said a probe will be conducted into safety protocols and action will follow based on the findings.
