KMF employee is 'public servant', can be tried under Prevention of Corruption Act: Karnataka HC
Bengaluru, Aug 11: The Karnataka High Court has ruled that those under the employment of Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) are 'public servants' and therefore can be tried under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the judgement in a case where a former general manager of Nandini Milk Products (a unit of KMF) had challenged the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) action against him for amassing disproportionate assets.
The HC said the petitioner being a General Manager undoubtedly performs public duty and the government obligations of such public duty was transferred to the Federation, when the Federation was created, and therefore, the inescapable conclusion would be that the petitioner would be a public servant within the meaning of Section 2(c) of the Act.
The case was registered against V Krishna Reddy under the Act in 2021 and is pending before the Principal District and Sessions Judge at Chikkaballapura. He had joined KMF as a technical officer in 1997 and reached the post of general manager.
An ACB probe found he had disproportionate assets to the tune of 107.70 per cent. He had approached the HC which had granted a stay on the proceedings on March nine, 2022.
The figures shown in the assets and liabilities statement run to several crores. The aforesaid facts are a matter of record though they are figures prima facie, the HC said.
The HC held it does not matter how much percentage of share the Government holds in an entity. But even if a 'sprinkling aid' is provided it would be sufficient to bring an employee with the definition of 'public servant.'
If the petitioner is a public servant under the Act, the registration of crime against him for offence punishable under Section 13(1)(b) of the Act, cannot be found fault with as it cannot be said, that it is, dehors jurisdiction, the Court said dismissing Reddy's petition.
Commenting on corruption in public life, the HC said in the judgement, It is beyond any cavil of doubt that corruption has percolated to every nook and corner of public life in the country and has become an issue in all walks of life posing a grave danger to the concept of constitutional governance; corruption emerges in various hues and forms and is therefore, unfathomable.
Citing the Supreme Court verdict in the 'Mansukhbhai Kanjibhai Shah' case, the HC said, Zero tolerance towards corruption should be the top-notch priority for ensuring system based and driven, transparent and responsive governance. Corruption cannot be annihilated but strategically be dwindled by reducing monopoly and enabling transparency in decision-making.
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11k litres of milk poured into Narmada river after religious event; environmentalists see red
Sehore (PTI): Around 11,000 litres of milk were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.
The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.
The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.
The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.
However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.
"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.
Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.
Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.
"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.
Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.
It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
