Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 24: A complaint has been lodged against Congress leader Sam Pitroda, a close associate of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, in connection with an alleged land scam involving more than Rs 150 crore in Karnataka. The complaint was filed by senior BJP leader and activist N.R. Ramesh with both the Karnataka Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Ramesh’s complaint accuses Pitroda of being involved in a massive illegal land deal, involving Karnataka’s Forest Department property.
Ramesh, who presented supporting documents with his complaint, alleged that Pitroda, who has a close association with prominent Congress leaders, exploited his political connections to carry out fraudulent activities regarding government land in Bengaluru.
Ramesh claimed that Pitroda’s organisation, the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), played a pivotal role in illegally acquiring government land for personal gain. “Sam Pitroda has been implicated in a land scam involving Forest Department land worth over Rs 150 crore. His organisation is directly involved in fraud, corruption, and illegal land acquisition,” Ramesh said.
The complaint also named former additional chief secretary of Karnataka’s Forest and Environment Department, Javed Akhtar (IAS Retd.), who is now the chairman of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC).
Alongside Akhtar, other key figures named in the complaint include principal chief conservators of forests R.K. Singh and Sanjay Mohan, as well as deputy conservators of forests N. Ravindra Kumar and S. S. Ravishankar, who are accused of complicity in the alleged illegal land transaction.
The case dates back to 1996 when Pitroda, through his organisation FRLHT, allegedly approached the Karnataka Forest Department requesting a lease on reserved forest land for research on medicinal plant conservation. Following this request, the Forest Department agreed to lease 5 hectares (12.35 acres) of reserved forest land in Jarakabande Kavalu, near Yelahanka, Bengaluru, for a five-year period. The Ministry of Forest, Ecology, and Environment also approved the lease, and it was extended for another ten years in 2001.
However, the lease expired in December 2011, and since then, the land was not renewed by the Forest Department. Despite this, Pitroda’s organisation continued to use the land for cultivating medicinal plants, allegedly for financial gain, even though the lease had expired over 14 years ago.
“Instead of reclaiming the land worth Rs 150 crore, the Forest Department failed to take any action due to alleged bribery and political influence exerted by Pitroda,” Ramesh alleged.
According to the complaint, high-ranking officials within the Karnataka Forest Department failed to notify the central Ministry of Forest, Ecology, and Environment about the expired lease, allowing Pitroda’s FRLHT to continue its activities without legal recourse.
The complaint further alleges that Pitroda has earned substantial sums from the sale of medicinal plant products cultivated on this government land over the years. “For nearly three decades, Sam Pitroda has reportedly profited from the sale of medicinal plant products grown on government land, without facing any consequences,” Ramesh added.
Pitroda, who hails from Odisha, previously served as an advisor to India’s telecom department during the tenures of former Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. His involvement in this alleged land scam has sparked significant political controversy, with Ramesh calling for immediate investigation and legal action against all those involved.
The case continues to draw attention, as Ramesh pushes for an in-depth probe into the matter, citing corruption, land fraud, and political influence as key elements of the alleged scam.