Bengaluru, Sep 28 (IANS): In a major development, the Karnataka Police registered an FIR against Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday in connection with allegations of 'extortion' through electoral bonds.

Tilak Nagar police in Bengaluru have filed the FIR as per the directions of the Special Court of MLAs/MPs.

FM Sitharaman has been named as the prime accused in the case. The officials of ED have been named as the second accused while the office bearers of the Central BJP office have been named as the third accused; former Karnataka BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel as the fourth accused and State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra as the fifth accused in the case. The state BJP office bearers are named as the sixth accused.

The police have booked FIR under IPC Sections 384 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

Bengaluru Special Court has ordered an FIR against FM Sitharaman and others for the crime of extortion through Electoral Bonds.

Co-President of Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishat Adarsh R Iyer is the complainant in the case. The Special Court had given directions to file FIR in this regard on Friday.

The complainant has alleged the crime of extortion against FM Sitaraman and others through Electoral Bonds.

The court had ordered the filing of an FIR to the jurisdictional SHO of Tilak Nagar police station in Bengaluru. The next hearing date is fixed on October 10.

The complainant has submitted that the first and second in connivance with the third and fourth accused and many others who are holding constitutional posts, CEOs and MDs of national MNC and TNC corporate companies committed extortion under the guise and garb of electoral bonds and benefited to the tune of more than Rs 8,000 crores.

The complainant has mentioned that the prime accused through the clandestine aid and support of the officials facilitated to extort of thousands of crores for the benefit of the third accused at the national level and the fourth accused in the state of Karnataka.

“It appears the prime accused press the service of officials named to conduct raids, seizures and arrests of various corporate companies, their CEOs, MDs etc. Fearing the raids, many corporates and moneybags were coerced and coaxed to buy electoral bonds worth several crores, which were encashed by the accused,” Adarsh Iyer stated in his complaint.

The petitioner alleged that the entire “extortion racket” under the garb of electoral bonds has been orchestrated hand in glove with officials of the BJP at various levels.