Karnataka high court stays legal action against minister

BEngaluru: The mysore heights margaret court has temporarily halted the sound proceedings initiated against tell energy minister KJ George, in connection with the allegations surrounding the state’s smart meter tender process.The interim stay was ordered by Justice MI Arun, who was hearing George’s plea challenging the maintainability of a case filed in the Special Court designated to handle criminal matters involving lawmakers.The case stems from a private complaint filed by BJP leaders CN Ashwath Narayan, SR Vishwanath and Dheeraj Muniraj. Earlier, on July 23, the Special Court had ordered the registration of a private complaint against George, former BESCOM managing director Mahantesh Bilgi and engineer Ramesh HJ. The complaint alleges irregularities in the awarding of the smart meter contract, alleging that the minister colluded with BESCOM officials to favour a particular company— Rajashree Electricals—by diluting eligibility norms and undervaluing the contract.The complaint pertains to a tender floated by BESCOM on September 26, 2024, for smart meter services. The BJP leaders allege that the contract was awarded to Rajashree Electricals, a company described in the petition as a shell entity based in Davangere, in violation of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, 2000, and the rules of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC).The petitioners claim that instead of issuing separate tenders for each power supply company across regions, the entire contract was routed through BESCOM, bypassing norms meant to ensure competition and transparency.Appearing for George, senior advocate Shathabish Shivanna contended that the prosecution lacked mandatory sanction. “Our client is a sitting legislator. Under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, prior sanction from the competent authority is required to prosecute a public servant. In this case, no such sanction was obtained before initiating proceedings. This makes the entire process legally untenable,” he argued.The court took cognisance of the argument and stayed proceedings before the Special Court.George’s legal team further asserted that the complaint lacked substance and was politically driven. “A plain reading of the allegations shows that our client had no direct or indirect role. The complaint is vague, politically motivated, and part of a larger pattern of harassment by BJP legislators,” they said. Advocates Samruddh Sura Hegde and Leela P appeared for the BESCOM officers named in the case.The interim stay drew sharp reactions from politicians on both sides of the political spectrum. “It is an open secret that minister KJ George through BESCOM looted public money on the pretext of smart meters,” said BJP state media convener K Karunakar. “A smart meter costs ₹10,000 here while same meter cost is just ₹2,000 in neighbouring states. This is a clear case of corruption and the court will punish him,” he added.The Congress rejected the allegations, with KPCC general secretary Manjunath Bhandari saying, “This is not a scam. The government is doing all tender proceedings transparently and all the suppliers of meters were allowed to participate in the process.” He added, “KJ George will come out clean after the probe.”