Minister charge-sheeted in bank cheating case

Karnataka social welfare minister Sudhakar and three others have been charge-sheeted by the CBI for allegedly cheating a nationalised bank to the tune of about Rs seven crore between 2003 and 2006.

Sudhakar, partner of Trishul Enterprises and director of Seven Hills Properties, and three others had allegedly colluded with the then manager of State Bank of Mysore’s Gandhinagar Branch here and secured housing loans in the names of employees of various institutions by producing forged documents. The charge-sheet was filed on August 13 before a CBI court here.

They have been charged with criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating by impersonation and forgery of security security against the loans, CBI sources said. According to the charge-sheet in which Sudhakar has been named as the third accused, the four managed to secure loans in the name of existing and non-existent employees of HAL, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, BSNL and South Western Railways.

CBI which probed the case had filed the FIR last year.

The other accused are M T V Reddy, the then manager of the bank, K V Hanumappa Reddy, partner of Trishul Enterprises and G M Ramesh, managing director of Meeramm Overseas, Mangalore, and also a partner of Trishul Enterprises.

Terming the allegations as “politically motivated”, Sudhakar has ruled out resigning from the ministry.

Opposition Congress in the Legislative Council V S Ugrappa demanded that Sudhakar either resign or be sacked by chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.