IAS officer Manjunath moves SC, says HC crossed its jurisdiction

Supreme Court

A senior officer of the Karnataka government, in the centre of controversy related to a High Court judge’s claims of threat to transfer, has approached the Supreme Court contending that he has become a victim of media trial due to repeated “unwarranted remarks against him”.

In his plea, Bengaluru Urban former deputy commissioner J Manjunath, through his counsel Sanjay M Nuli, said that remarks were made against him without giving an opportunity, violating the principle of natural justice.

On Thursday, senior advocate S Nagamuthu mentioned the petition on behalf of Manjunath before a Bench presided over by Chief Justice N V Ramana.

The Bench allowed the plea for posting the matter for hearing, along with a similar petition filed by the Karnataka government and Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) chief Seemant Kumar Singh against the High Court’s order and oral observations.

In the plea, Manjunath has claimed that the High Court has exceeded its jurisdiction and traversed beyond the scope of the matter before it.

“The High Court has lost sight of the fact that such remarks at nascent stages of investigation have a disastrous bearing on the fair probe and judicious conclusion of the criminal proceedings, including his right to remedy of bail,” the plea said.

Maintaining that the material collected by ACB does not disclose the commission of alleged offences, Manjunath said he had an unblemished career of 25 years after he joined the service on April 15, 1997.

Manjunath was arrested on July 4. The sessions court dismissed his bail application on July 11.

Karnataka High Court’s judge Justice H P Sandesh made a sensational claim that he received a transfer threat for his remarks against the ACB’s functioning.

The state government and ACB chief Seemant Kumar Singh have filed separate petitions against the High Court’s order and observations.