Another complaint filed against minister Ashok

B D Narayankar

Press Trust Of India

Bangalore, Oct 27: Close on the heels of Lokayukta police filing an FIR against Home Minister R Ashok on charges of being involved in illegal denotification of government land, another complaint has been filed against him for unlawfully acquiring land reserved for the poor.

K N Jagadesh Kumar said in a statement he had filed a complaint on October 26 in Lokayukta against Ashok for "manipulating and acquiring land belonging to
Lokakalyana Prathistana Public Charitable Trust".

He alleged Ashok had manipulated the trust land at Kodigehalli village, measuring about seven acres and nine guntas, and later registered it in the names of his elder sister's children.

The land, worth Rs 175 crore at current market rates was resold to people as sites and apartments by Ashok and his family, he alleged.

Kumar also charged MLA Ramesh Kumar, one of the trustees, with being part of the scam. Kumar said he had filed a complaint on October 25, 2007, before the then Governor Triloki Nath Chaturvedi, Principal Secretary, Bangalore Deputy Commissioner, Yelahanka Tahsildar and Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike Commissioner but to no avail.

Kumar said he would lodge a complaint before the Special Lokayukta Court in a week if no action was taken on his complaint filed in the Lokayukta.