The Karnataka High Court has refused to quash the chargesheet filed against M.R. Seetharam, former MLA, for allegedly helping a public servant to transact his ill-gotten money to pay the tuition fee for the postgraduate medical course of the latter’s daughter.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while rejecting the petition filed by Mr. Seetharam, who had questioned the order of the special court for Lokayukta cases in taking cognisance of offence for abetment in the alleged crime.
The investigating agency had registered a corruption case against T.N. Chikkaryappa, former managing director of Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd. for allegedly possessing asset worth ₹3.58 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Mr. Seetharam, in his capacity as president of M.S. Ramaiah Education Society, had issued a cheque for ₹50 lakh in favour of M.S. Ramaiah Medical College towards the tuition fee of Mr. Chikkarayappa’ daughter.
To the explanation sought by the investigation officer, the society in its April 2018 communication had said that Mr. Chikkarayappa had sought a scholarship from the society for his daughter’s PG course. But the society in its meeting had unanimously resolved to reject his request for the scholarship as the amount was huge for one student and it was decided to give interest-free education loan of ₹50 lakh to her.
When the investigation officer sought original documents such as Mr. Chikkarayappa’s request letter, the committee’s resolution to grant the loan, modes for recovering the loan, the financial assistance given to other students, the society strangely wrote back stating that it cannot provide any information as society itself had become defunct after it sold its college along with the site way back in 2011-12. The society had also claimed that it had no office or staff and hence it was not possible to trace the documents.
Following this, the investigating agency came to the conclusion that Mr. Seetharam helped Mr. Chikkarayappa to transact ₹50 lakh from his ill-gotten money for payment of fee for his daughter’s medical course through the society.
The court noted that in its first reply, the society had never said it was defunct but then the investigation officer sought more documents “a new swan song is sought to be sung by the society”.
Even though Mr. Seetharam had signed the cheque, he had not finished a satisfactory explanation as to how the amount was routed, why such a huge amount was given as a special case to Mr. Chikkarayappa’s daughter, the court noted while stating that all these disputed aspects required to be considered by the trial court.
