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Karnataka to hand over stamp paper scam probe to CBI

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE DEC. 26. The Karnataka Cabinet on Friday decided to hand over the investigation of the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Addressing presspersons here after the Cabinet meeting, the Karnataka Minister for Home, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, said the Cabinet took the decision in view of the appeal of the Union Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, in Parliament on the necessity of an investigation by the Central agency. The State Government would inform the Supreme Court of the decision soon. However, the Stamp Paper Investigation Team of the State Government would continue investigation till the agency took over.

Mr. Kharge said the State's position on the scam had been clear from the beginning. "We were the first to unearth this fraud and pursue the matter vigorously for over two years with the only objective of ensuring that the investigation was thorough and the culprits were brought to book," he said.

Recalling the statement by Mr. Singh in Parliament on December 19 that the scam was due to systemic failure, Mr. Kharge said that as early as July 2002, the State had brought to the notice of the Union Finance Minister that sensitive machinery of the Indian Security Press, Nashik, had been allowed to fall into unscrupulous hands. Mr. Singh lauded in the Lok Sabha the investigation conducted by the State team. "The Union Finance Minister shared our anxiety that the matter must be fully investigated by the Central agency in national interest."

Mr. Kharge said Mr. Singh's view was that if the accused, Abdul Karim Telgi, was tried under one charge in the State, it would be difficult for the Centre to try him on the same charge elsewhere.

The Karnataka Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, D.B. Chandre Gowda, said, "The Central Government cannot impose the Central Bureau of Investigation probe on States. We offered ourselves for it."

The Additional Director-General of Police, R. Srikumar, who heads the State investigation team, said it would cease to exist when the cases were transferred to the CBI. It was for that agency to decide whether to continue the investigations conducted by the State team or to start afresh. The State Government formed the team on January 25, 2002.

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