SM Krishna, Yeddyurappa, Devegowda face probe in Mysore expressway scam: report

A special Lokayukta court has ordered its police to probe the involvement of three former Karnataka chief ministers - external affairs minister SM Krishna, BS Yeddyurappa who was recently forced to quit as BJP chief minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Devegowda in the alleged Mysore-Bangalore Express Highway scam.

Certain irregularities have been reported in the acquisition of land for the expressway project, which was developed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Limited (NICE).

The probe follows a private complaint filed by social activist TJ Abraham on 27 August specifying the role of each of the former chief ministers named in the case, reports said today.

Abraham had filed two applications before the court, the first praying that the court attach the entire 6,999 acres representing alleged fraudulent execution of the toll road project and procure a report of all transactions that were made with respect to it.

The second application sought the exercise of the court's the power conferred under Section 4 of the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance to direct the SP, Lokayukta Police, to attach the total toll illegally collected by NICE and Nandi Economic Corridor Enterprises Ltd (NECEL) or through its agents at any time upon the peripheral road, more particularly identified in the Framework Agreement dated 3 April 1997 as modified from time to time.

Abraham who had made a detailed presentation of claims made in the complaint, submitted that basic aim of the project, which was to have a Bangalore-Mysore Express Highway at an investment of Rs522 crore by the consortium to a create a concrete road of international standards, had not been fulfilled at all and the "very purpose of the project had been defeated".

There are a total of 102 accused, including former chief minister N Dharam Singh, Ashok Kheny (managing director NICE), Baba Kalyani (CMD Bharat Forge), Narayan Vaghul (chairman ICICI), 57 IAS officers, former advocate general Ashok Haranahally and sitting High Court Judge, H S Kempanna and William Weld, former governor of Massachusetts, USA (who was a part of a consortium).

The complaint was filed on 18 July 2012.