Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday, July 3, dismissed a petition filed by former Deputy Chief Minister K.S. Eshwarappa seeking to quash a disproportionate assets case registered against him, paving the way for the Lokayukta Police to continue their investigation.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order after hearing arguments from both sides. Senior Advocate Ashok Haranahalli, representing Eshwarappa, urged the court to quash the FIR and grant protection from arrest. Opposing the plea, Lokayukta Special Public Prosecutor Venkatesh Arabatti informed the court that no coercive action would be taken if Eshwarappa cooperates with the ongoing probe.
Accepting the prosecution’s submissions, the High Court dismissed the petition.
The case originated from a complaint filed by Shivamogga advocate B. Vinod, alleging that Eshwarappa, his son K.E. Kantesh and daughter-in-law Shalini had acquired assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.
Although the Lokayukta Police had earlier filed a closure (‘B’) report, the complainant challenged it before a trial court. The court subsequently directed the Lokayukta to conduct a fresh investigation, following which the Shivamogga Lokayukta Police registered a new FIR.
Challenging the fresh FIR, Eshwarappa moved the High Court. However, with the dismissal of his petition, the investigation into the alleged disproportionate assets case is set to proceed in accordance with law.
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