Karnataka Lokayukta Patil quits over housing controversy

Bangalore - 20 Sep 2011: Bowing to pressure from various quarters KarnatakaShivaraj Virupanna Patilon Monday announced his resignation from the post following his family owning residential plots in Bangalore, allegedly in violation of rules.

Justice Patil, who was probing several high profile land scam charges, including some against former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, said "This malicious campaign has deeply hurt and pained me. In this uncongenial atmosphere I have deemed it appropriate to submit my resignation. I am giving up this office yielding to the malicious campaign of a few and letting down the hopes of many who had reposed their faith in me," Patil said after tendering resignation to governor HR Bhardwaj.

Before this Justice Patil called on governor at Raj Bhavan and held discussion for more than an hour. Patil, who entered through main gate of Raj Bhavan, left using back gate to avoid media glare after meeting

TOI's sister publication Bangalore Mirror published an expose about Justice Patil's plots on September 15. Rules clearly state that if an individual owns a plot allotted by a government agency or private housing co-operative society in Bangalore city limits, he/she is not entitled to own another plot by any housing agencies. In Justice Patil's case, two plots were allotted by two different housing co-operative societies.

One plot, owned by wife Annapurna, was allotted by VHBCS, already under the Lokayukta scanner for illegally merging a public road with the premises of former CM BS Yeddyurappa's family firm, Davalagiri Properties and Developers. The Centre has also entrusted Patil as one-man committee to study and recommend the action on 2G Spectrum scam, which had quantified revenue loss to the exchequer upto Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

Last few days, Justice Patil tried to defend he didn't violate the law. "I asked my wife to surrender the site forthwith, without getting into legality of it. Accordingly she returned the property allotted in her name on September 14. Shockingly, instead of treating surrender of the site as a step in the right direction, it was treated and campaigned as if it is an acceptance of mistake and a grave crime had been committed," Justice Patil said.

Earlier, he had maintained his family bought the plot from Vyalikaval House-Building Co-operative Society (VHBCS), which was selling land to raise money to clear debts. "Under such circumstances, the housebuilding co-operative rules (that one should not own any plot in Bangalore) do not apply. Now that the ownership has been questioned, my wife surrendered it through a letter dated September 14," he said.

Before resignation, Patil held discussion with chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Sunday. The CM, sources said backed Justice Patil and asked him to continue. Later, he went on consulting his family, former colleagues and legal experts to understand the charges and its implications before arriving at a decision. Though majority is said to have supported him, some advised him to resign purely on moral grounds keeping in view of the "sensitive" job he is holding.

Though Justice Patil was vehemntly defending the charges against him and his family over the last few days, he decided to quit after anti-graft activist Anna Hazare openly reacted to the issue. While admitting that it was clear-cut case of impropriety, Hazare wanted him to quit.

source: TOI