Karnataka Lokayukta corruptuion case: SIT gets four more days to grill Ashok Kumar

BENGALURU: The Lokayuka Special Court has extended the police custody of Ashok Kumar, an accused in the Lokayukta corruption case, till August 3, while remanding the two other accused, M.B. Srinivasa Gowda and Shankare Gowda, to judicial custody.

As the police custody of the three accused ended on Friday, the SIT officials produced the trio before the court on Friday morning. All the three accused applied bail petitions through their advocates. But Judge V.G. Bopaiah refused to grant them bail and directed Special Public Prosecutor K. Janardhan to file objections. As the SPP sought time, the judge asked him to submit objections on August 3.

As the SIT officials did not seek for extension of the custody of Srinivasa Gowda and Shankare Gowda, they were remanded to judicial custody. But the SPP requested the court to extend the custody of Ashok Kumar, who was the first accused arrested in the case.

“The investigating officers want some more days to extract information from him. Though they have collected information from him about his involvement in the scam, they need to extract some more details about a few more things. We request the court to extend his custody by four days,” the SPP submitted.

The judge extended his custody till August 3. The other two accused were taken to Parappana Agrahara Central Prison following the court remanding them to judicial custody.

Ashwin taken to Hyderabad

The SIT officials, probing the Lokayukta corruption case, have taken Ashwin Yerabati, the prime accused in the case and Lokayukta Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao’s son, to Hyderabad as part of the investigation.

SIT sources said that a team of policemen left for Hyderabad on Thursday night and reached there on Friday morning. “As complainant P.B. Channabasappa had alleged that he met Ashwin in Hyderabad, a spot inspection had to be conducted, and the team was sent to Hyderabad. The complainant too is accompanying the team as he has to identify the places where the alleged meetings took place,” an official said.

It is learnt that the police team have already searched Ashwin’s house in Rainbow Vista Apartments in Moosapet of Hyderabad. “The police team will also visit some five star hotels where the alleged meetings took place as mentioned by the complainant. The team will be back on Sunday,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the SIT officials have continued grilling the other accused in the case, Syed Riyaz, the Lokayukta PRO, and Ashok Kumar, who are in SIT custody.