The Karnataka High Court has rejected two petitions filed by the alleged “bribe givers” in the Mysore Sandal scam, saying it is high time the menace of corruption is plugged and nipped in the bud “by making the bribe giver susceptible for such prosecution, like the bribe taker”.
The bench headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna, in his judgement rejected a petition filed by Kailash S Raj, Vinay S Raj and Chetan Marlecha, the owners of Ms Karnataka Aromas Company, and another petition by Albert Nicolas and Gangadhar, who were found with cash of Rs 45 lakh each in the office of Prashanth Kumar MV, the then finance adviser and chief controller of accounts in BWSSB.
Prashanth is the son of Madal Virupakshappa, the then BJP MLA and chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited, the manufacturer of Mysore Sandal soap.
A separate complaint was filed in which these two along with the three owners of the Karnataka Aromas Company were made the accused. It was this case that the five of them had challenged in two separate petitions.
The money seized is claimed to be the bribe allegedly being paid to Virupakshappa through his son Prashanth.
The HC rejected their plea for quashing the case quoting US philosopher Ayn Rand, “When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you, you know the nation is doomed.”
“As observed hereinabove, this is a picture in a picture. Accused Number 2 and 3 in the case at hand were caught at the time when the search was conducted in connection with Crime No. 13 of 2023,” it said
“They were admittedly caught holding two bags of cash of Rs 45 lakh each and were sitting in the personal office of accused No. 1, son of the Chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited and they are the office bearers of Karnataka Aromas Company, a commercial organization.
“The question is why were they sitting in the personal office of accused No. 1, a public servant and why were they sitting with bags containing cash of Rs 45 lakh each waiting to see accused No. 1 in his personal office would become a matter of investigation,” the court said.
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