Karna HC dismisses former minister Murugesh Nirani's plea

Karnataka High Court today dismissed the criminal petition by former Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani seeking quashing of the FIR and chargesheet filed against him in the Lokayukta court in connection with a private complaint that he illegally ordered cancellation of an industrial site based on a forged signature.
Justice Anand Byrareddy dismissed the petition on the grounds that since the chargesheet was still pending before the Special Judge of Lokayukta court for taking cognisance, it was not a fit case for any kind of interference at this stage.
The court also held that since Nirani had ceased to be a public servant, sanction for prosecuting him was not necessary.

The petitioner had sought quashing of the FIR and the chargesheet on grounds that sanction which was necessary even for filing of the complaint, had not been obtained by the respondent.
On May 21 last year, the Lokayukta court had ordered a probe into the complaint filed by industrialist Alam Pasha.
The Investigating officer had filed his final report before the Lokayukta court on March 1, charging Nirani, former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, former Principal Secretary, industries department, V P Baligar and former Managing Director, Udyog Mitra, K S Shivaswamy under various IPC sections and the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.

Pasha had stated in his complaint that the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board had allotted him 26 acres for setting up of an industry but Yeddyurappa and Nirani cancelled it on the basis of a forged letter.