Congress corporator L Govindaraju reasoned with builder who got the Lokayukta to lay a trap for him that he was forced to demand bribes because he had shelled out massive amounts during the civic poll
Congress corporator L Govindaraju reasoned with builder who got the Lokayukta to lay a trap for him that he was forced to demand bribes because he had shelled out massive amounts during the civic poll
Lokayukta sleuths who trapped a BBMP corporator of the Congress party red-handed on Saturdayu00a0while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a city builder on Friday reportedly admitted that he was on a recovery spree to recoup the crores he had invested in getting elected to the civic body.
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| Govindaraju was arrested under Section 7, 13(1) A of Lokayukta Act, which empowersu00a0Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde to investigate charges of corruption against public servants. He has been remanded to judicial custody |
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L Govindaraju, who told this to builder Uday Kumar, while collecting the amount was in a fix as the sleuths who have recovered the conversation recorded by them are now planning to use it as evidence against him in court.
"We have recorded the entire conversation betweenu00a0u00a0 Govindarajuu00a0 and the builder. We will get a voice recognition test done if required," said a Lokayukta official involved in the operation.
A team of officials led by Superintendent of Police Madhukar Shetty also raided his house and seized documents to verify whether Govindaraju has any unaccounted for property.
Soon after Govindaraju was trapped, the Lokayukta was flooded with calls from businessmen and builders in theu00a0 Ganesh Mandir ward, which is represented by Govindaraju.
"The businessmen have alleged that the corporator has been extorting money from them from some time now. We have asked the callers to come in person to testify against him," said an investigating officer.
Govindaraju defeated BJP candidate Basavaraju, who was a strong contender for the Mayor's post in the BJP-dominated civic body, from the Ganesh Mandir ward (165) in March this year. Govindaraju's victory was as much of a shock to BJP leaders as was Basavaraju's defeat.
There are rumours that while Govindaraju is more corrupt than many others, he was fixed by his political rivals.
Govindaraju, who was arrested under Section 7, 13(1) A of Lokayukta Act, which empowers the Lokayukta to investigate charges of corruption against public servants, has been remanded to judicial custody.
Govindaraju had allegedly tried to push for more money which Kumar resisted. "The corporator had pointed to the builder that way too many laws had been violated in the construction of the apartment.
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He had asked for Rs 8 lakh to set things right. After protracted haggling, Govindaraju agreed to accept Rs 2 lakh to give the necessary clearances.
Shetty said he was unable to discuss the case at length as the matter continued to be investigated.
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"We have prima facie evidence that proves that Govindaraju is involved in corrupt practices. We will take whatever action is necessary under the circumstances," he said.
Lokayuktau00a0 Justice N Santhosh Hegde and Kumar could not be contacted for comment despite repeated attempts.
Abdul Wahab, general secretary, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, told MiD DAY that Govindaraju has been suspended for misconduct.
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"We have suspended him from the party and are planning to take serious action against him for bringing a bad name to the party," said Wahab.
