Tag: Karnataka

I-T finds bougus expenditure of Rs 1K cr during raids in Karnataka

[ad_1]
New Delhi: The Income Tax Department on Tuesday said that they recently carried out a search and seizure operation at 16 different locations in a case involving some Cooperative Banks in Karnataka, which led to the recovery of valuable and incriminating documents, and the detection of Rs 1,000 crore bogus expenditure.
An I-T official said that these Cooperative Banks have been found to be engaged in routing of funds of various business entities of their customers, in a manner so as to abet them to evade their tax liabilities.
The search action has resulted in seizure of unaccounted cash of over Rs 3.3 crore and unaccounted gold jewellery worth over Rs 2 crore.

A large amount of incriminating evidence in the form of hard copy documents and soft copy data have been found and seized during the search action.
The seized evidence revealed that these Cooperative Banks were involved in rampantly discounting bearer cheques issued by various business entities in the name of various fictitious non-existing entities.
“These business entities included contractors, real estate companies, etc. No KYC norms were followed while discounting such bearer cheques. The amounts after discounting were credited in the bank accounts of certain Cooperative Societies maintained with these Cooperative Banks,” the official said.
The I-T department said that it was also detected that some Cooperative Societies subsequently withdrew funds in cash from their accounts and returned the cash to business entities. The purpose of such discounting of a large number of cheques was to mask the real source of the cash withdrawal, and to enable the business entities to book bogus expenses. In this modus operandi, Cooperative Societies have been used as a conduit.
“Using this modus operandi these business entities were also circumventing the provisions of the Income-Tax Act, which limits the allowable business expenditure incurred other than by account payee cheque. Bogus expenditure booked in this way by these beneficiary business entities could be to the tune of about Rs 1,000 crore,” the official said.

During the search, it was also found that these Cooperative Banks allowed opening FDRs by using cash deposits without adequate due diligence, and subsequently sanctioned loans using the same as collateral.
Evidence seized during the search revealed that unaccounted cash loans of over Rs 15 crore were given to certain persons.
During the search action it was learnt that the management of these Cooperative Banks have indulged in generating unaccounted money through their real estate and other businesses. This unaccounted money has been brought back in the books of account by multiple layering through these banks.
The bank funds were routed without following due diligence through various firms and entities owned by the management persons for their personal use.
Further investigation in the matter is on.
[ad_2]
#finds #bougus #expenditure #raids #Karnataka
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Congress alleges Rs 16,000 crore BJP tenders in Karnataka polls; seeks EC action

[ad_1]
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday petitioned the Election Commission seeking its intervention on rejection of the party advertisements and issuance of tenders worth a staggering Rs 16,000 crore by the BJP government hours before the declaration of Karnataka Assembly elections.
The opposition party, which is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in the southern state, also demanded that certain officers in the poll panel who have completed more than six years, be transferred from Karnataka. The Congress also provided details of such officers.
The Congress sought action against the Punjab government over the transfer of various IPC, PCS and PPS officers to allegedly favour the ruling AAP, and displaying photographs of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Aam Aadmi’ clinics, which the opposition party said is a “direct violation of the model code of conduct” which is in force due to the bye-election in the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency.

The party rued that five videos of the Congress seeking to create awareness among the voters in Karnataka on allegations raised against the BJP government in the state as well as the party’s design for guarantee cards being issued to voters have been rejected on the ground that these cards shall be used to collect personal information of voters.
Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress pointed out that in the past, the saffron party has run smear campaigns against the INC in the state of Karnataka without any restraint.
“Yet the Indian National Congress (INC) is not being allowed permission to run advertisements that are far tamer in comparison. It is our submission that the incorrect motive of collecting personal data of voters is made upon us.
“The decision to reject our advertisements is completely incorrect and requires urgent reconsideration,” it said.
“We urge the Commission to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves and to reconsider the decision given by the Karnataka State Media Certification Commission (KMCC),” the party said in its memorandum to the Election Commission (EC).

The Congress also alleged that various tenders were issued by the ruling BJP government in Karnataka, 48 hours before the declaration of the Model Code of Conduct in the state.
“These tenders worth a staggering Rs 16,000 crore (approximately) are, we submitted, a direct and blatant attempt to influence the outcome of the state election. As a result, we prayed before the EC that these be scrutinised, the offending individuals penalised and the same, at the very least, be injuncted until the conclusion of the election,” the party said.
“In the office of the CEO, there are people who have been serving for more than six years and still continue in their offices. This is a violation of the EC’s guidelines which state that officers are to be changed after every three years to prevent any appearance of bias. The Congress has submitted a list of all such officers and asked for the rule to be enforced,” the Congress leaders said.
The leaders who met the chief election commissioner and election commissioners include former Union minister Salman Khurshid, Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Pratap Bajwa, Rajya Sabha MP Nasser Hussain, AICC secretary Pranav Jha, and AICC Media Department secretary Vineet Punia.
[ad_2]
#Congress #alleges #crore #BJP #tenders #Karnataka #polls #seeks #action
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 10, 2023
Karnataka Polls: Another round of meeting to finalise BJP candidates’ names on Tuesday

[ad_1]
New Delhi: After two hours of brainstorming at the residence of BJP President J.P. Nadda on Tuesday evening over the names of BJP candidates on certain seats for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka, the saffron party will hold another round of meeting on Tuesday to finalise the list.
Speaking to mediapersons here, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai said, “There will be another round of meeting tomorrow following which Home Minister Amit Shah will take the final call in the evening. We have presented our views over a few seats before the party’s central leadership. We had healthy discussions today, and the rest will be decided tomorrow.”
Chaired by Nadda, the meeting on Tuesday evening was attended by Bommai, Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and BJP’s national General Secretary C.T. Ravi, among others.

Earlier in the day, two rounds of meetings were held, one at Nadda’s residence, and the other at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
As per an insider, brainstorming is going on a few candidates’ names, and the BJP will most probably release a list on Tuesday evening.
Subscribe us on
[ad_2]
#Karnataka #Polls #meeting #finalise #BJP #candidates #names #Tuesday

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 10, 2023
Karnataka poll: KCR eyes 40 Assembly seats with significant Telugu voters

[ad_1]
Hyderabad: In a bid to expand the activities of the BRS in Karnataka and Maharashtra, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has started the work of identifying assembly constituencies dominated by Telugu voters in the two states. After the announcement of the Karnataka Assembly elections, KCR sent teams of leaders to Karnataka and sought a separate report from some experts.
There are reportedly 40 assembly constituencies in 12 districts of Karnataka where Telugu voters have a decisive position. The success of any candidate will depend on their support. After the release of the notification for the Karnataka Assembly elections, KCR has given the responsibility of various areas of Karnataka to ministers, MLAs and MPs and will campaign in favour of JD(S) candidates in these 40 assembly constituencies.
The districts identified are Bellary, Kolar, Bangalore (Rural), Bangalore (Urban), Rachaur, Kapala Tumkur, Chitradurga, Chikalapura, Yadgiri, Bidar and Kalaburagi. These districts have a significant number of Telugu people migrating from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Most of the sections that influence the elections in Karnataka include Lingayats, Vokkaligas and SC/ST communities, but a significant number of Telugu voters are present in 12 districts. In view of the triangular contest between BJP, Congress and Janata Dal Secular in Karnataka, KCR has decided to support his ally Janta Dal Secular to prevent division of votes. BRS leaders will campaign in favour of Janata Dal-Secular candidates.
The number of assembly seats in Karnataka is 224 and in the 2018 elections, the candidates got the victory on 52 assembly constituencies with a majority of less than 5,000 votes. The state threw up a fractured mandate in 2018 elections with BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 and the Congress won 87 seats while the JD(S) won 30. It is said that the Janata Dal-Secular’s tally will increase if Telugu voters support it.
The Election Commission announced that single-phase polls wil be held in Karnataka on May 10. The results will be declare 13 May.
[ad_2]
#Karnataka #poll #KCR #eyes #Assembly #seats #significant #Telugu #voters

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 10, 2023
Is Karnataka Congress conspiring to field dummy candidate against BJP’s Sudhakar?

[ad_1]
Karnataka is set to go to assembly polls in 2023, and as the election approaches, there are allegations that the state congress leaders are conspiring to field a “dummy” candidate against the BJP’s K Sudhakar in the Chikkaballapur constituency. These allegations were made by Congress leader Vinay N (Shyam), who claimed that the party’s proposed candidate, Pradeep Eshwer, is a mere formality and that his selection is part of a larger conspiracy to facilitate Dr. Sudhakar’s victory.
Vinay N (Shyam) alleged that Pradeep Eshwer is a supporter of Dr. Sudhakar, as he has been seen with the BJP candidate at many parties. According to him, Eshwer’s selection as the Congress candidate is part of a larger plot by some Congress leaders in Karnataka to ensure Sudhakar’s victory. Vinay further claims that Veerappa Moily and other Karnataka Congress leaders are behind this conspiracy.
Vinay N has also written a letter to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) President, explaining his role in local elections and expressing confidence in his victory if given the ticket to contest from Chikkaballapur. He has also alleged that he is the best Congress candidate from the constituency, as he has worked at the grassroots level since Sudhakar left the party in 2018.

If true, the decision to field a dummy candidate is not only unethical but also goes against the interest of the party that is struggling to increase its vote share since 2014.
Who is Sudhakar?
K. Sudhakar is a well-known political figure in Karnataka who is serving as the Minister of Medical Education and Health since February 2020. He was elected as MLA from Chikkaballapur on a Congress ticket in 2018 and was re-elected from the same constituency in 2019 on a BJP ticket.
Sudhakar was one of the MLAs who played a crucial role in toppling the H. D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government of the Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) in 2019. With his political experience and influence, Sudhakar continues to be a prominent figure in Karnataka’s political landscape.
[ad_2]
#Karnataka #Congress #conspiring #field #dummy #candidate #BJPs #Sudhakar

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 10, 2023
Karnataka: After row over Muslim-owned stalls last year, temple decides on no stalls

[ad_1]
Mangaluru: A temple in coastal Karnataka has barred vendors from setting up shops in the shrine area during the ongoing annual temple fair that got underway on April 5.
The decision comes a year after a controversy had broken out when a banner was displayed outside Bappanadu Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple at Mulki in Mangaluru taluk asking the temple authorities not to allow Muslim vendors to set up stalls for the temple fair.
Speaking about the management committee’s decision to prohibit the stalls from being put up for this year’s festivities, temple hereditary trustee N S Manohar Shetty on Sunday said the temple stands as a symbol of communal harmony and thousands of people from different faiths, including Muslims, revere the deity.

“We were pained by last year’s development. The committee decided not to have any stalls in the temple area for the ongoing temple fair. We want the fair to go in a harmonious manner and did not want any controversy,” he said.
Shetty said vendors are free to erect stalls in the private property adjacent to the temple land if the owner agrees. A committee of volunteers is looking after the shops on the private land and a part of the money collected by the committee for allotment of shops is given to the temple, Shetty further said.
He denied the charge made by some Muslim vendors that they were not allowed to erect stalls for the fair, while adding that the management committee members have made it clear that no vendor belonging to any faith will be permitted to open shops on the temple land.
Subscribe us on

[ad_2]
#Karnataka #row #Muslimowned #stalls #year #temple #decides #stalls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 9, 2023
Karnataka: Election related seizure touches close to Rs 100 cr in 10 days of poll announcement

[ad_1]
Bengaluru: The election related seizure in Karnataka on Sunday touched close to Rs 100 crore, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said.
According to the daily bulletin, the CEO said Rs 99.18 crore worth seizure were made ever since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect in the State from March 29.
In just 10 days of MCC coming into effect, Rs 36.8 crore cash, Rs 15.46 crore worth freebies, 5.2 lakh litres of liquor valued at Rs 30 crore, Rs 15 crore worth gold and Rs 2.5 crore worth silver ornaments have been seized, the bulletin said.

On Sunday, the Static Surveillance Team seized Rs 34 lakh cash in Yadgir district and 56 televisions worth Rs 21 lakh in Nelamangala constituency in Bengaluru Rural district. The Excise department has seized 54,282 litres of liquor worth Rs 1.62 crore.
The elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will be held on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.
Subscribe us on
[ad_2]
#Karnataka #Election #related #seizure #touches #close #days #poll #announcement

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 9, 2023
Karnataka tired of 40% commission, wants 100% commitment: Tharoor

[ad_1]
Bengaluru: Former union minister Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said people in Karnataka were tired of “40 per cent commission” and wanted “100 per cent commitment” that the Congress party would give if it were voted to power in the upcoming Assembly election.
He also said that the Congress was prepared to tackle the “serious deficiencies” in state-level and urban-level governance in Bengaluru and the entire state of Karnataka.
“I think the people in this state are tired of the 40 per cent commission. What they want is 100 per cent commitment and that’s what we will give 100 per cent commitment to the well-being of the people of Karnataka,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP said at a press conference here.

In poll-bound Karnataka where the Assembly election is just a month away, the Congress has been accusing the BJP-led state government of collecting 40 per cent commission from contractors, unaided private schools and even some religious institutions on the grants that they receive from the government.
Tharoor said the state was being badly governed and that the infrastructure in Bengaluru was becoming an embarrassment.
“Our message is very simple. We have seen, unfortunately, over four years now, bad governance. When there is bad governance and there is nothing to see, people inevitably wonder what they need a government for,” Tharoor said.
There were essential needs of the people that had not been met and the Congress party had already come out with a number of “very specific policies” to fulfill those needs, the Congress leader said.
He added that the Congress was coming up with policies such as ensuring that unemployed graduates and unemployed diploma-holders could get some support from the State so that they can live with self-respect while they search for jobs. He also said the Congress was planning to honour the Gruha Lakshmi’ — the homemakers — so that they could get some compensation for their unpaid labour.

Tharoor said the Congress “is pledging to improve the infrastructure of Bengaluru which used to be the pride of Karnataka and India but which is now becoming an embarrassment.”
“So whether it is state-level governance or urban level governance, we feel that there are serious deficiencies that the Congress government is ready and prepared to tackle,” the Congress MP said.
To a question on some Congress leaders joining the BJP, he pointed out that several MLAs and MLCs too had joined the Congress from other parties in the past few months.
“Well if you look at the Karnataka situation, five MLAs, two MLCs, 11 former MLAs, four former MLCs and one former MP have all joined the Congress, literally in the last few months. It does suggest that the people from other parties are seeing the Congress as an inevitable victorious party in Karnataka,” Tharoor said.
He, however, said he was disappointed with the Congress members who had joined the BJP, and said they could have joined a party that shared the values and principles of the Congress instead.
He wondered how they could go to a party that has the opposite set of values and principles.
“That I find difficult to understand. That’s where my disappointment (lies) with some of the people who have gone to the dark side, as one might say. I think they will sadly have to repent their choices as they see how they are treated in their new home,” Tharoor said.
[ad_2]
#Karnataka #tired #commission #commitment #Tharoor
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 9, 2023
B N Chandrappa as working president of Karnataka Congress unit

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Days ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls, the Congress on Sunday appointed B N Chandrappa as the working president of its state unit.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed Chandrappa as working president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, a party statement said.
The Karnataka unit is headed by D K Shivakumar. The appointment of Chandrappa comes after Karnataka Congress working president R Dhruvanarayana passed away last month.

The Congress has so far declared 166 candidates for the polls, including one for the Karnataka Sarvodaya Party.
While the party had declared 124 candidates in its first list, it declared another 42 candidates in the second list.
The party’s Central Election Committee has met at least four times and held detailed deliberations on all the candidates for the total 224 assembly seats, but is yet to declare 58 more candidates.
The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in Karnataka, the only southern state where the saffron party is in power
The elections to the assembly will be held on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.

Subscribe us on
[ad_2]
#Chandrappa #working #president #Karnataka #Congress #unit
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 9, 2023
PM’s repeated visits show how weak BJP is in Karnataka: Congress

[ad_1]
Bengaluru: The Congress claimed on Saturday that the repeated visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the southern state only show how weak the BJP is in Karnataka, which goes to the polls on May 10.
Speaking to mediapersons, Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said that the people of the state have taken a decision to overthrow the BJP government, which is known to the saffron party leaders and that is why the central leaders of the BJP are repeatedly visiting the state.
“Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of the country, and he can come down to the state as many times as he wishes. But he is repeatedly visiting Karnataka now for campaigning, which shows how weak the BJP is in the state,” Shivakumar said.

“By making all these attempts, the BJP leaders seem to have already conceded defeat. The voters of the state are intelligent and they are going to change the government, no matter who visits the state,” he added.
The Congress leader also claimed that since they are not able to draw the masses, the BJP leaders are roping in film actors.
“There is a conspiracy to use the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the Congress candidates. The police are also acting as BJP’s agents. I have asked to prepare a list of such officers. They can do this for only 40 days,” Shivakumar said.
Subscribe us on

[ad_2]
#PMs #repeated #visits #show #weak #BJP #Karnataka #Congress
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 8, 2023