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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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
