The Lokayukta Special Court on Wednesday Nov 28,2012 convicted L.
Govindaraju, Bruhat Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Councillor for Ganesh
Mandir ward, for demanding and accepting a bribe and sentenced him to 4 years’ rigorous imprisonment, besides fining him Rs. 90,000.
Barely
three months after he was elected, Govindaraju (Congress) was caught
red-handed by Lokayukta sleuths accepting a bribe of Rs. 2 lakh from
Uday Kumar, a builder, in July 2010. The Lokayukta police had
charge-sheeted him and Gopal, a mediator.
The charge
was that the councillor demanded Rs. 8 lakh from Mr. Uday Kumar, a
resident of Banashankari 3rd Stage, for condoning a plan deviation in
the construction of an apartment complex. The builder paid him Rs. 2
lakh as the first instalment, and when Govindaraju demanded the rest,
Mr. Uday Kumar complained to the Lokayukta police.
On
July 17, 2010, the Lokayukta police arrested Govindaraju along with
Gopal while accepting Rs. 2 lakh at the formers’ house. The team also
filmed the trap.
The court held that prosecution witness Thimme Gowda, a BBMP mason, was
liable for punishment for giving contradictory depositions. Gowda, who
had given a statement before the court under Section 164 of Criminal
Procedure Code, turned hostile in the deposition during the trial.
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