Karnataka HC Judge threatened with transfer after remarks against ACB

Last week, a Judge of the Karnataka High Court, HP Sandesh had said the ACB had become a "collection centre". This week on Monday, he said that he had been threatened with transfer due to those remarks, however, he remains unfazed.

Bengaluru: Following his remark against the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Justice HP Sandesh of the Karnataka High Court on Monday said he was threatened with transfer. He had called the ACB a "collection centre" last week while hearing a bail plea of P S Mahesh, a deputy Tehsildar in the office of Bengaluru City Deputy Commissioner. Sandesh, however says that such threats do not faze him at all.

Two staff members of the City Deputy Commissioner's office were arrested for taking a bribe of Rs 5 lakhs in exchange of a favourable order in a land dispute. The court had raised objections against the office, claiming that senior officers in the office were being protected while the junior staff had to bear the brunt of the situation as they were the ones being prosecuted in the case.

Justice Sandesh had claimed that the ACB had become a "collection centre" and the ADGP, Seemanth Kumar Singh a tainted officer. The Karnataka High Court on June 29 had ordered the ACB to produce details of all cases which had been filed as 'B' reports by the Bureau since 2016. In a related development today, Manjunath J, an IAS officer and former Bengaluru City Deputy Commissioner, was arrested in the same case by the ACB.

In a hearing today, Justice Sandesh said, "I am ready for it, for the good of people. Your ACB ADGP seems to be a powerful person. Somebody has told this to my colleague. I have been informed about it by a judge. The threat of transfer will be recorded in the order."

"I don't fear anyone. I am ready to bell the cat. I have not accumulated property after becoming a judge. I don't care if I lose the position. I am the son of a farmer. I am ready to till the land. I don't belong to any political party. I don't adhere to any political ideology," he said.

When the ACB counsel informed the court that another Bench is hearing the matter pertaining to the report on 'B' reports, a term for closure reports, Justice Sandesh said, "You have been filing B-reports on those who were caught red-handed. Why are you not furnishing details to me, while the information has already been given to the Division Bench?"

In a further remark on the ACB, the court said, "Are you protecting the public or tainted persons? The black coat is not for the protection of the corrupt. The corruption has become a cancer and it should not reach stage four. The officers are being extorted after threatening them with search warrants." The court had earlier directed for submission of the service records of the ACB ADGP.

"The service records of ACB ADGP have not been produced before the court. You have reached a stage of issuing threats to the judge. The whole state is mired in corruption. If Vitamin M is there, you will protect anyone," the court said. The court ordered the presence of the DPAR Secretary in the next hearing on July 7.