Karnataka - Bangalore

Somashekar wants Krishna to resign

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: President of the State Janata Dal (United) B. Somashekar has demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Governor S.M. Krishna in the light of the "confession" made by the main accused in the fake stamp paper case Abdul Karim Telgi and the former police officer Sangram Singh.

Mr. Somashekar told presspersons here on Wednesday that all that had been mentioned over the past few years on the nexus between some political leaders and the key accused in the stamp paper scam had now been confirmed by both Telgi and Sangram Singh. Both of them were subjected to tests by the Forensic Science Laboratory and they had also made confession statements before the investigating officers.

He said the State Government should write to the Central Bureau of Investigation and request it to probe the involvement of political leaders in the light of the statement made by Telgi and Sangram Singh over the payment of hefty amounts to political leaders. Further, the Government should also register cases of abetment against political leaders such as Mr. Krishna.

Mr. Somashekar, who was Revenue Minister in the J.H. Patel Government, had the Karnataka Stamps Act in 1999 amended soon after the stamp paper scam came to the notice of the Government. The Act was amended to dispense with the use of stamp papers for property and other types of registration. The matter could be typewritten on white paper and thereafter franked at the office of sub-registrar concerned (following the payment of the prescribed fee) to confirm the completion of registration.

Mr. Somashekar referred to the reported taped conversation between Telgi and some politicians during which he had named Mr. Krishna and other Congress leaders and demanded that the Kumaraswamy Government take a serious note of the matter.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu