Valmiki Corporation Case: K’taka HC Stays FIR against ED Officials

The Karnataka High Court has stayed an FIR filed against ED officials following a complaint from a social welfare department officer, who alleged he was harassed to implicate the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and other government officials.

The court has stayed the FIR registered against the ED officials on charges of pressuring an official during the investigation of irregularities in the Valmiki Development Corporation.

Two officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved the High Court of Karnataka challenging the FIR registered against them at Wilson Garden police station. The FIR accused them of pressuring an official to name former Minister Nagendra during the investigation into irregularities in the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation.

The former managing director of the corporation, Kallesh, alleged that the ED officials pressured him to admit that he had transferred money illegally due to the pressure of former minister B. Nagendra and also mentally tortured him.

On July 22, the police at Wilson Garden police station registered an FIR against ED officers Kannan and Mittal. These officers filed an application in the High Court seeking the cancellation of the FIR.

In its petition, the central probe agency argued that the FIR was lodged with the intention of subverting the investigation being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate into the scam. The FIR was registered by the Karnataka Police without any preliminary inquiry. Therefore, ED lawyer Madhukar Deshpande applied to the court to stay the FIR and requested an urgent hearing of the application.