Government fears that Dinesh Kumar’s suspension could be used in Courts as evidence of a scam

Mysuru: In a surprising turn of events, the State Government has quietly lifted the suspension of former MUDA Commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar, who was suspended on Sept. 2 for his alleged involvement in illegal allotment of 50:50 ratio sites and other irregularities.

However, the Government has not disclosed when the suspension was revoked or the new position Dinesh Kumar has been assigned following the withdrawal of his suspension.

After Dinesh Kumar’s suspension, the Opposition fiercely attacked the Government, accusing it of implicitly admitting to the scam in which 14 sites were allotted to CM Siddaramaiah’s wife, B.M. Parvathi, under the 50:50 alternative site allotment plan.

The withdrawal of Dinesh Kumar’s suspension surfaced during a High Court hearing on Sept. 12 concerning a petition filed by CM Siddaramaiah. The petition challenges the Governor’s sanction to prosecute him in the MUDA scam.

High Court informed

Advocate-General (AG) Shashikiran Shetty informed the Court that the Government had revoked the suspension of Dinesh Kumar.

Senior Counsel Raghavan, representing petitioner Snehamayi Krishna, who had sought the Governor’s sanction to prosecute the CM, argued that by suspending Dinesh Kumar on Sept. 2, the Government had effectively acknowledged the illegal allotment of MUDA sites to the CM’s wife.

Senior Advocate Prof. Raviverma Kumar, on behalf of the CM, argued that Dinesh Kumar’s suspension was unrelated to the allotment of sites. He stated that the former MUDA Commissioner was suspended for other reasons, and the Government revoked the suspension after determining that Dinesh Kumar had no involvement in the case.

Shashikiran Shetty supported Raviverma Kumar’s claim, confirming that the suspension order was withdrawn as it was not connected to the site allotment issue.

When Justice Nagaprasanna inquired if all concerned parties had been informed of the withdrawal, Shetty assured the Court that they had.

Fear of legal repercussions

The Government’s Sept. 2 order suspending Dinesh Kumar, who had recently been posted as Haveri University Registrar, became a source of embarrassment for the administration.

The suspension provided ammunition for the Opposition, which accused the Siddaramaiah Government of admitting to the MUDA scam, where 14 sites were allegedly allotted illegally to the CM’s wife.

Fearing that the suspension could be used as evidence of the scam by the advocates representing petitioner Snehamayi Krishna, the State Government, through Shashikiran Shetty, informed the High Court that Dinesh Kumar’s suspension had been withdrawn.

The Government contended that his suspension had no connection to the MUDA scam, which allegedly took place during his tenure as MUDA Commissioner, sources indicated.