Times of India

Mangalore, Feb 3: One of the tainted assistant town planning officers (ATPOs), Manjunath Swamy, who landed in the Lok Ayukta net in July last year in the disproportionate assets case, was suspended by the city corporation commissioner Krishnappa Poojari on Friday. 

Poojari said Swamy was suspended based on the report by the Lok Ayukta, Bangalore. “The suspension will be effective for six months. It may be extended even after that period, depending upon the case, he added. The commissioner had received the letter from Lok Ayukta a couple of days back. 

Regarding another ATPO, Shivaraj, who was also raided on the same day, Poojari said the Lok Ayukta letter stated that it had prima facie evidence against Manjunath and he could be suspended. “The letter does not mention the other ATPO, he added. 

In July last year, the raid on the house of ATPO Manjunath Swamy had yielded Rs 36 lakh in immovable assets and more than Rs 75 lakh worth of assets was recorded from ATPO Shivaraj’s house. The raid did not yield any cash in both the houses. 

When the Lok Ayukta raided the house of the two ATPOs, the combined assets crossed Rs one crore. The search at Swamy’s house yielded Rs 36 lakhs in immovable and movable assets, more than Rs 75 lakh worth of assets was recorded from Shivarajs house. 

Swamy’s assets included Rs 1.6 lakh worth gold jewellery, a car, a two-wheeler, fixed deposits of Rs 10 lakh in his wife’s name, Rs 9.26 lakh in bank account, Rs 20,000 in two bank accounts in his wife’s name, three LIC policies worth Rs 10 lakh and two cheques of Rs 5 lakh seized from Swamy’s brother-inlaw’s computer shop in Lalbagh. 

Shivaraj’s assets include 10 cents of land at Pandeshwar valued at Rs 20 lakhs, two houses in that property worth Rs 15 lakh, Rs 1.6 lakh worth MUDA site in his wife’s name, and Rs 40 lakh worth assets like gold and silver jewellery, an apartment valued at Rs 9 lakh, a car in his wife’s name, a two-wheeler, NSC certificates, shares and bonds. Shivaraj had Rs 85,000 in his bank account and Rs 85,000 in his wife’s account.