Smart power meter tender scam allegation: HC stays special court order seeking lokayukta report
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday granted an interim stay on a Special Court’s directive asking the Lokayukta Police to submit a report in connection with a private complaint filed against Energy Minister K.J. George and others, alleging irregularities in the tender process for smart electricity meters in the state.
The complaint, filed by BJP leaders including MLAs Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, S.R. Vishwanath, and Dheeraj Muniraju, accused the state government of unlawfully awarding a ₹16,000 crore smart meter installation contract. They claimed the tender process violated transparency norms under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act and the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) rules.
Justice M.I. Arun, heading a single-judge bench, passed the interim order while hearing a criminal petition filed by Minister K.J. George seeking to quash the private complaint. The High Court also issued notices to the Lokayukta, BJP leaders C.N. Ashwath Narayan, S.R. Vishwanath, and Dheeraj Muniraju, asking them to file objections. The next hearing has been scheduled for August 20.
Arguments in Court:
Senior advocate C.V. Nagesh, representing K.J. George, argued that public servants, including the minister, are protected under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, which bars any inquiry or investigation without prior sanction from the competent authority. He contended that the Special Court’s order seeking a report from the Lokayukta Police Superintendent was without jurisdiction and bypassed mandatory procedures.
On the other hand, senior advocate Lakshmi Iyengar, appearing for the BJP complainants, argued that the order only instructed the Lokayukta Police to file a preliminary report, which is permissible at this stage and part of the initial procedure. Hence, she argued, the High Court should not stay the directive.
Background of the Case:
The controversy stems from a tender floated on September 26, 2024, to procure and install smart electricity meters. The BJP leaders alleged that the tender was illegally awarded to Davangere-based Rajashree Electricals, a shell company, without inviting separate tenders for different electricity supply companies across the state. Instead, the entire tender process was routed through BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company), raising suspicions of favoritism and corruption.
The private complaint named Energy Minister K.J. George, Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta, former BESCOM MD Mahantesh Bilagi, and Technical Director H.J. Ramesh as accused. The Special Court for People’s Representatives had on July 23 directed the Lokayukta Police Superintendent to submit a report, prompting Minister George to challenge the order in the High Court.
The High Court’s interim stay has now put a temporary pause on the Lokayukta’s probe, at least until the next hearing on August 20.
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Barber held for beating man to death over 'bidi' in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A 32-year-old barber was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly beating a man to death following an altercation over a 'bidi' in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar area, police said.
A call regarding the incident that occurred near the bus stand road in Shashi Garden was received at 1.24 am, they said.
The victim was identified as Deepak (28), while the accused was Manoj, he added.
According to the police, during an argument, the accused picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and struck the victim repeatedly on the head. Multiple injuries and bruise marks were also found on the victim's forehead.
"Deepak was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead," an officer said.
An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, the officer added.
