George to rejoin Karnataka ministry on Monday

K.J. George will rejoin the Siddaramaiah ministry in Karnataka on Monday, over two months after he resigned as Bengaluru Development Minister on July 18 following an FIR against him in the suicide case of a police officer, an official said on Sunday.

"Governor Vajubhai R Vala will swear in George as cabinet minister on September 26 at Raj Bhavan," a senior official told IANS.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has decided to re-induct George after an inquiry by the CID found no evidence of his role in the unnatural death of Mangaluru Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) M.K. Ganapathy at Madikeri in July.

"The CID has filed a report in the Madikeri court on September 17 clearing George of the charge by Ganapathy that he was responsible for forcing him to take his life," the official said.

George, a legislator from the Sarvagnanagar assembly segment in the city, was the state Home Minister before his portfolio was changed on October 31, 2015 to Bengaluru development and town planning.

The court in Kodagu district on July 18 ordered police to file the FIR against George and two IPS officers A.M. Prasad and Pranab Mohanty, who were also named by Ganapathy for harassing him and driving him to commit suicide.

Ganapathy, who was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a hotel room at Madikerei on July 7, had accused the trio in an interview to a local news channels hours before taking his life that they would be responsible "if anything happens to me".

The inquiry also cleared Prasad and Mohanty of the charge that they caused mental agony to Ganapathy, leading him to end his life.

The court order for an FIR came in response to a private complaint filed by Ganapathy's elder son Nehal under section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Commenting on the CID report, ruling party's working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said when there was not a shred of evidence against George, where is the question of him abetting the suicide.

--IANS

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