Karnataka High Court stays FIR against ED officers probing Valmiki Corporation case

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday stayed the first information report (FIR) and consequent proceedings against two Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers who were probing the purported multi-crore Valmiki Corporation scam..Justice M Nagaprasanna said while ordering a stay on further proceedings against the officers,"If this crime is permitted to be continued, even if it is for an offence under 351 and 353 of the BNS, it would become an abuse of the law against the officers who have performed their duties and in return have cases registered against them.".The officers were booked on a complaint by Additional Director of the Social Welfare Department Kallesh B, who was summoned by the ED for questioning in the Valmiki Corporation case. Kallesh alleged that during the ED questioning, he was forced to name arrested former Congress minister B Nagendra and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the case..At the outset of the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aravind Kamat, appearing for the ED, submitted that the officers were booked while discharging their official duties. He also pointed out that the complainant waited for six days to approach the police.In response, Justice Nagaprasanna said,"If the discharge of duties of every officer is investigated like this, then no one will work. Whether it is officers on this side or that side. And anyone who comes out of interrogation will say he was threatened...These innovative filmy style ideas will not be allowed here. Tomorrow, no investigating officer will be safe. You are opening a Pandora's Box."When the Court asked why the police was doing this, Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty countered,"The question should be why is the ED doing this?"The Court said in response,"That is not the issue before me. If I allow this, no investigating officer will be safe.".The Court ultimately stayed the investigation against the ED officers and posted the matter for August 21.Advocate Madhukar Deshpande appeared for the ED along with ASG Kamat.Additional Special Public Prosecutor BN Jagadesh appeared for the State along with AG Shetty..On July 22, the Bengaluru Police had registered an FIR against the two ED officers for allegedly forcing a senior government official to name Nagendra and Siddaramaiah in the case pertaining to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.Kallesh told the police he was summoned by the ED for questioning on July 16 in connection with the misappropriation of Valmiki Corporation funds. During the questioning, he claimed, two officers from the central agency - Murali Kannan and one Mittal - pressurised him to implicate Nagendra and Siddaramaiah..Nagendra was arrested by the ED on July 12 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody on Monday..The alleged scam came to light in May this year after the accounts superintendent of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, Chandrashekhar, died by suicide at his residence. Chandrashekhar left behind a note alleging misappropriation of the welfare funds.Soon after, the Karnataka government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations, while the ED began a separate probe.As per the ED, around ₹90 crore was illegally transferred from the Valmiki Corporation’s bank account to several unauthorised accounts.