Janata Dal (S) MLA and former Minister S.R. Mahesh has filed a defamation case against IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri, who earlier served as Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru.
Advocate Arun Kumar, who is representing Mr. Mahesh, told reporters here on Sunday that a petition had been filed in the court of Second Additional District Judge in Mysuru seeking damages of ₹1 crore for allegedly defaming the JD (S) leader. Taking cognisance of the petition, the court had asked Ms. Sindhuri, who is now Commissioner, Muzrai Department, to reply by October 20, 2022, he said.
Mr. Arun Kumar said a legal notice had already been served on Ms. Sindhuri for alleged defamatory statements against his client.
In the legal notice, dated June 26, 2022, he said Ms. Sindhuri had, in an audio conversation as well as reports in the media, tried to “belittle and defame” his client while seeking an unconditional apology in leading newspapers as well as pay compensation of ₹1 crore. Mr. Kumar claimed that the IAS officer had replied to the legal notice and described the audio conversation as private.
Mr. Mahesh, who was also present, said the IAS officer had levelled false allegations of land encroachment against him to allegedly project herself as an honest officer and “to cover up her failures during COVID-19 pandemic when she reportedly hid the death toll in the district”. Despite my request to suspend the officer, the then Chief Secretary only transferred her out of the post of Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru, he said.
While the earlier inquiry conducted by Regional Commissioner of Mysuru, G.C. Prakash, had submitted a report, stating that the choultry owned by him at Dattagalli in the city had not encroached upon the ‘rajakaluve’ or the storm-water drain as alleged by the then Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Mahesh said a high-level inquiry ordered by the government into the charges levelled by him against the IAS officer was currently under way. “Let the report come,” he said.
Mr. Mahesh claimed that he had come up in life the hard way and would fight against any effort to besmirch his reputation.
