Income tax officials on Friday said they recovered nearly Rs 5 crore in raids against former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and others, PTI reported. The raids were carried out in relation to the allegations that Parameshwara misused his position in the government for “personal gains”.
Officials said the raids, which began on Thursday and continued on Friday, were carried out at nearly 25 locations, including two medical colleges that the Congress leader is associated with. Over 300 income tax officials searched properties linked with Parameshwara and former Congress MP RL Jalappa’s son J Rajendra.
Apart from raids at the former deputy chief minister’s house, office and institutions, authorities also searched the home of his brother G Shivaprasad. His assistant Ramesh’s residence was also searched, PTI reported citing unidentified officials in the tax department.
Raids were conducted on Friday at Karnataka’s Siddhartha Medical College, which is affiliated with the Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education, where Parameshwara is the chancellor. The former deputy chief minister’s family runs the Siddhartha Group of Institutions, set up by his father HM Gangadharaiah 58 years ago. Rajendra oversees the RL Jalappa Institute of Technology at Doddaballapura and Kolar.
The colleges, which were deemed varsities, were required to admit students on the basis of merit through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET. The institutes reportedly did not have local reservations. Unidentified officials said that the institutes had auctioned the seats for Rs 50 lakh to Rs 60 lakh, according to Hindustan Times.
Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah criticised the authorities for the raids against its leaders. “The series of IT raids on Dr Parameshwara, RL Jalappa and others, are politically motivated with malafide intention,” he tweeted on Thursday. “They are only targeting Karnataka Congress leaders as they have failed to face us on policy and corruption issues. We won’t budge to any such tactics!!”
He had also claimed that Congress leaders in the state were being targeted as the government could not face the Opposition on policy and corruption matters. Former state minister DK Shivakumar is also currently in judicial custody in connection with an Enforcement Directorate inquiry in a money laundering case.
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