The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed stern disapproval of the government’s move to refuse permission to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to investigate a KAS officer accused of illegally transferring the ownership of 37 acres of precious gomala land in Bengaluru North worth Rs 200 crore.
“We have sought a detailed report from the revenue department on the transfer of the gomala lands,” PAC chairperson Krishna Byre Gowda said.
The KAS officer in question is K Ranganath, who previously served as Bengaluru North assistant commissioner.
In July 2020, the then revenue principal secretary N Manjunath Prasad - he is now the chief minister’s principal secretary - had recommended Ranganath’s suspension and punitive action against him after finding irregularities in the way 37 acres of land were handed over to private persons in a short span of time.
Around the same time, the ACB also took up a case.
In January 2021, the High Court had asked the government to decide on the ACB’s request for permission to investigate Ranganath within a month’s time.
It has now come to light that the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms (DPAR) denied permission to the ACB to proceed against Ranganath.
After Prasad wrote to the government, Ranganath was transferred. Then, he came back as the Bengaluru North assistant commissioner. Last month, he was transferred again, which the officer has challenged before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal.
“Ranganath served as the Bengaluru North assistant commissioner between March 26 and June 26, 2020. Of the 116 orders that he passed, 15 deal with government gomala land of 37.10 acres - in Kanalli, Lakshmipura, Kodigehalli, Gowdahalli, Bidarahalli, Kyalasanahalli, Bhoganahalli, Bettahalasuru and Satanur villages,” Prasad had stated in his report.
According to Prasad, the assistant commissioner should have ascertained the genuineness of documents given that the lands in question were gomala.
“Also, a report from the tahsildar should have been taken. However, no such measures were followed,” Prasad stated.
“It is seen, prima facie, that Ranganath colluded with mafia in handing over government land worth crores of rupees.”
PAC member A T Ramaswamy, a staunch campaigner against land frauds, rued that the government was silent.
“Despite a report from a principal secretary that the officer in question had colluded with land mafia, no action has been taken. The government is protecting the officer. I’ll raise this in the Assembly,” he said.
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