Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Janardhan Reddy filed false affidavit’

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The Janata Dal (Secular) on Monday came out with it said was documentary proof to substantiate its allegation that the suspended BJP MLC, G. Janardhan Reddy, had deliberately filed a false affidavit before the Election Commission of India while filing his nomination papers for the Legislative Council elections last year.

JD(S) general secretary Y.S.V. Datta, MLC, told presspersons here that he would file a petition before the Election Commission within two days seeking action against Mr. Reddy, who filed the false affidavit on May 19, 2006 to contest the Council elections.

Mr. Datta, who released three volumes of documents totalling 534 pages to the press, said there was a huge difference in the assets and liabilities mentioned in the affidavit and the financial declaration made by Mr. Reddy on March 31, 2006.

The documents, Mr. Datta said, revealed the difference in income and the assets owned by Mr. Reddy and his family members. Though Mr. Reddy and his family own or are partners in 19 companies, only 11 companies were mentioned in the affidavit. “Mr. Reddy intentionally suppressed facts about his assets and liabilities from the Commission,” Mr. Datta alleged.

Some months ago, Mr. Reddy had alleged that Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Home Minister M.P. Prakash and Minister for Forests C. Chennigappa had received a Rs. 150-crore bribe from the mining lobby in Bellary district. Subsequently, the Government ordered a Lokayukta investigation into illegal mining of iron ore in the State.

Mr. Datta said he had filed a complaint with the Lokayukta on June 18 seeking an inquiry into the false declaration of assets and liabilities made by Mr. Reddy.

The JD(S) leader, who culled information from income tax returns and balance sheets of companies owned by Mr. Reddy, said the suspended MLC was liable for prosecution under the Representation of the People Act for filing a false affidavit before the Election Commission.

Mr. Datta said that in the affidavit Mr. Reddy had indicated the value of his shares in the company OMPCL in Bellary at Rs. 56,850 while in financial declaration showed the value as Rs. 2.21 lakh. In the affidavit, Mr. Reddy had not disclosed agricultural land owned by him at Belagal village in Bellary district. Mr. Reddy had not disclosed the properties and companies owned by his wife, Lakshmi Aruna, and son, he alleged.

In the affidavit, investment in RBI bonds by Ms. Aruna is shown as Rs. 8 lakh while the financial declaration put the value at Rs. 5.12 crore.

Mr. Reddy had not disclosed the names of companies owned by him such as Shree Raghavendra Constructions, Ennoble Airways, Ennoble Constructions, Ennoble Business Centre and Convention Hall and Ennoble India Chits Ltd., Mr. Datta alleged.

Mr. Reddy had furnished wrong information on assets and income to various departments in the State, Mr. Datta said and urged the Lokayukta to initiate action against Mr. Reddy.

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