ACB registers FIR against top govt officials

The state Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday registered a case against four government officials, including two IAS and one IPS officer and heads of K Raheja Corporation-promoted IT Park and Mindspace project, in an alleged conspiracy leading to depletion of government stake in those ventures.

While hearing a private petition filed by a city-based lawyer last Saturday, the ACB court had directed the ACB director general to issue an FIR against the six people before taking up the matter for further hearing. The court also directed the ACB director general to file a status report on this matter by March 31, 2011.

Accordingly, the anti-corruption wing registered an FIR against BP Acharya, IAS and then chairman and managing director of AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), K Ratna Prabha, IAS, principal secretary — Information Technology and Communication department, M Gopi Krishna, IPS, special secretary — IT&C department, and PS Murthy, joint secretary — IT&C department. The other two are Neil Raheja, managing director of Raheja IT Park, and B Rabindranath, head of Raheja Mindspace.

The petitioner had alleged that the four officials had colluded with the promoters of Raheja IT park and Mindspace Hyderabad Project, and allowed the APIIC’s stake in the above joint ventures to come down to 0.006 per cent from the original 11 per cent, which was given in lieu of 110 acres allotted to the Rahejas, leading to a loss of more than Rs 500 crore to the government. According to the petitioner, the officers had avoided a decision on infusing the capital in proportion to the stake held by the APIIC in the projects consequently diminishing the stake to near zero level.