By Pragati Saha
A court in Bangalore has placed Shirahati MLA Chandu Lamani in judicial custody until 3rd March after he was arrested by Lokayukta police for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs. 5 Lakh from a contractor.
Karnataka Lokayukta Police detained BJP MLA Chandru Lamani after raiding a hospital they own, where they found him receiving Rs.5 Lakh in cash from a class one contractor in Gadag on Sunday, along with his two personal assistants and a PS.
Lamani was arrested during the operation and was later taken to Parappana Agrahara Central prison. The court also ordered that his personal assistant, Manjunath Valmiki and an associate, Guru Naik, to be held in judicial custody related to the same case.
Lamani was taken to a government hospital for medical check up prior to appearing before the court for public representatives. A case has been filed against him by the government under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Lokayukta officials were quoted saying that Lamani along with his aide and assistance had been arrested and the inquiry is still going on.
The arrest took place after a complaint came from Vijay Pujar, a class-I contractor from Chinchalli in Gadag District, who claimed that the MLA asked for Rs.11 Lakh to help with Minor Irrigation Department Projects, including roadside wall construction. Following the complaint a trap was set up in Lakshmiswara town, where they reported that Lamani was caught accepting part of the bribe.
According to officials, today the Gadag Lokayukta Police station has successfully executed a trap. The accused was caught while taking Rs. 5 Lakh.
This has led to political tensions from various parties. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reacted to the opposition by saying that Lamani has been apprehended by the Lokayukta. What will the BJP leaders say now? They should speak right. It’s easy to accuse others of corruption and bribery. But now a BJP MLA has been arrested .
Senior BJP Leaders, including Leader of opposition Chalavadi Narayanswamy and state BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra, mentioned that they were not fully aware of the matter and would only respond after getting full information.
Alongside, an audio tape featuring Lamani talking with the contractor has also gone viral , with claims that it contains a discussion about the payments. Officials have not verified the authenticity of the recording.