The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday ordered issue of notice to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on a petition filed by J. Manjunath, IAS officer and former Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district, who has been arrested in a bribery case.
Justice H.P. Sandesh, before whom the petition came up for hearing, has adjourned further hearing till July 28. Mr. Manjunath was arraigned as accused number 3 in the case after the High Court had questioned functioning of the ACB.
He contended that he was falsely implicated in the bribery case though there was no material evidence against him in the episode of demand for ₹5 lakh made allegedly by a deputy tahsildar (Mahesh P.S., who is accused number 2) attached to the office of the DC, Bengaluru Urban district, and acceptance of bribe amount through a private person (Chetan Kumar, who is accused number 1).
“It appears, on the face of it, that at the instance of certain external/extortion agencies, and based on the observation made by the High Court in the bail petition of accused number 2, the investigating officer has implicated the petitioner falsely but submitting an additional report, which is absurd, unjust and without jurisdiction,” Mr. Manjunath claimed in his petition.
Mr. Manjunath has already filed a petition before the apex court for expunging of certain remarks made against him by a Single Bench earlier in the bail petition filed by Mr. Mahesh.
