Bangalore, December 26
Shrugging off its two-year-long defiance, the Karnataka Government today decided to hand over investigations in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam to the CBI.“With a view to constructively respond to the Centre’s endeavour of seeking a probe by a centralised agency, the state Cabinet has decided to hand over the case to the CBI in national interest,” Karnataka Minister for Home M. Mallikarjun Kharge told a press conference here.
He said the ongoing investigations by Karnataka into the racket had reached a ‘curious’ stage and there also had been some “scepticism” over the probe.
Defending the decision to handover investigations in the scam to the CBI, he said: “It was taken in the national interest when the Union Government is going before the Supreme Court requesting that cases come under an umbrella.”
He said Finance Minister Jaswant Singh had said if the prime accused Abdul Karim Telgi was tried in one court or under one charge in Karnataka, then it would be difficult for the Centre to charge him or try him on the same charge elsewhere.
— PTI
