Bengaluru, Aug 6 (IANS) The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday stayed proceedings against state Energy Minister K .J. George and officials of the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) in connection with a private complaint alleging irregularities in the tender process for the procurement and installation of smart electric meters in the state.

The private complaint was filed by BJP leaders, and legal proceedings were ongoing in the trial court.

The bench headed by Justice M.I. Arun passed the stay order and posted the next hearing of the case for August 20. The court directed that no proceedings shall take place until further orders.

The petitioners in the case have sought the quashing of the complaint filed against them. However, the bench has directed the Karnataka Lokayukta to submit its report in the case on or before the next hearing date.

Senior counsel C.V. Nagesh, appearing on behalf of George and Bescom officials, argued that all the persons named in the case, including the minister, are public servants and therefore enjoy protection under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act when prosecution is initiated or cognisance of an offence is taken.

He further submitted that the trial court had passed an order directing the Lokayukta police to submit a report, which, he argued, was not permissible under law.

BJP MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan, along with other BJP leaders, had earlier filed a complaint with the Lokayukta and the Governor regarding the alleged smart meter scam.

The Karnataka BJP had also urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to dismiss George and sought his resignation over the controversy. However, the minister has refuted all charges.

Ashwath Narayan had alleged that the smart meter scam involved Rs 15,000 crore and said it was no minor issue.

He said that the contract was awarded to an unqualified contractor, an agreement was made with a blacklisted company, rules were violated, and exorbitant rates — among the highest in the country — were imposed even when not required.

“Despite bringing all these violations to light, this self-serving ATM government tried to loot people in broad daylight. We filed a complaint with the Lokayukta police in April and later submitted a follow-up petition. Due to delays, we filed a private criminal complaint before the court. Myself, MLAs S.R. Vishwanath, and Dheeraj Muniraju have approached the court,” Ashwath Narayan had stated.

He demanded that the current contract be scrapped, citing misuse of power, and reiterated his call for George’s resignation.

BJP Legislative Council member K.S. Naveen also alleged that farmers in Chitradurga district had staged protests three times and alleged that ” the sole purpose behind implementing smart meters is to generate money”.

–IANS

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