Bengaluru, Mar 4: The Karnataka High Court has issued a notice to the state government in connection with the denial of retirement benefits to a retired deputy commissioner of commercial taxes who had fought against the illegal iron ore lobby.
Justice G Narendra also directed the state to respond to the notice before March 9, stating the reasons for withholding the officer’s retirement benefits.
Advocate Ramananda, appearing for the retired officer Josephat Andrews, explained that the single-judge bench also warned the government of stringent action.
Petitioner Josephat Andrews said his retirement benefits amounting to Rs 25.88 lakh were being withheld since 2014.
In 2009, Andrews detected a huge scam involving Vijaya Leasing, a company associated with former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy. Immediately he wrote to his higher officials explaining to them how the department was owed Rs 1,400 crore in taxes by the company. Immediately after that, Andrews was transferred to Bengaluru.
The media exposed the scam in 2012. Thereafter, to harass the officer, Andrews was served notice for allegedly not conducting an inspection of M/s Vijaya Leasing, which was controlled by the family of then tourism minister Gali Janardhana Reddy, on July 11, 2012. He was discharged by a full departmental enquiry.
The petitioner was issued a second show cause notice on Jan 29, 2014 on the same charges. Before his retirement, he was docked two increments, denied promotional benefits and his pension was reduced without following due process.
He was served yet another notice with charges that he did not inspect goods vehicles, and an order was passed on April 30, 2019 reducing his pension by 5 per cent, an unprecedented punitive action.
This order was quashed by the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT), which also ordered payment of retirement benefits to Andrews within five months. However, the benefits were not released to him.
“Rule 214 of the Karnataka Civil Services Rules (KCSR) make it clear that no enquiry can be held four years after an officer’s retirement. Belying all statutory rules and precedents of the Supreme Court, Josephat Andrews’ retirement benefits were withheld for five years. Andrews therefore approached the High Court,” advocate Ramananda explained.
Josephat Andrews recalled to Deccan Chronicle that although mining activity was in full swing in 2008, the commercial tax department maintained that it had nothing to do with mining. “I travelled to Gujarat, Maharashtra and Bellary to investigate. I found tax evasion of thousands of crores. When I visited M/s the Vijaya Leasing facility – it was operating from an old oil mill premises–within 20 minutes I got calls from Ali, a person claiming to be the personal assistant of Gali Janardhan Reddy. He told me to get out of the premises as it belonged to his boss. Then calls came from minister Sreeramulu and MLA Nagendra.
Within minutes 200-300 rowdies gathered around the building and my superior asked me to come back. Instead of filing a police complaint and forming a special team to deal with the situation, the department transferred me to Bengaluru,” he explained.
Talking about the High Court directive, Josephat Andrews said, “I have suffered a lot. Instead of getting a reward for increasing revenues by Rs 2,000 crore, I was punished.”
Comments
LOL...kuchbee, he is the biggest shit of india..GOD is pure, mercfull & good, this man try to show off that he is with hindus, becarful my dear hindu brother he may change his mind based on the situation. like this people are called marons of 21st century.
words cannot express for this man s. statement , he was dreaming in the daylight
Sita came to his dream and she might have told that Rama is fedup of the Jungle life now he need one place to settle down and to have good rest in his rest of the life.
About Shias all are have one openion that shias not considered as Muslims they are another part of Kuffars.
Why this guy is playing with the sentiments of Hindu Brothers, Although i am a Muslim but we should respect other religions too and their sentiments. When More then 100 crores of our hindu brother and sisters pray him and he is so powerfull then why lord Ram will come in his dreams. May be time or place is not perfect for him to stay on that perticular place. if lord Ram would wish he can accept prayers of crores of peoples and settle the matter.
cant expect worse than this from a bhakt.
chacha....fear Allah before its too late
First of all, does the God cry. If he is crying he can not be God.
The one and only true God will never come in dream and will not cry.
The real God is never be seen NOR imaginable to anyone.
This is the attribution of Ture God.
Let us say for the sake of argument, he has dreamed. It does not mean it is credible dream.
The dreams are 2types True dream and fake Shaytani dream.
About this man who is controversial already in the past, has always been trying to get the mercy of Hindus. He wants to be closure with them.
He is selling his Islamic values of true belief for worldly gains. He is Munafiq
God knows how Shiyas have selected him to be their head of waqf board.
This is the true picture of Shiyas. No basic knowledge of Thoheed/ Oneness.
May God guide them.
I think this is the chamatkar of desi brand. If you start drinking foreign brand before going to bed Lord Jesus also may visit you soon!
Please give a bit more explanation about the divine-human encounter. Rama was alone or Sita was also there with him? Did he go soon after expressing his sadness before you or he also had food with you before leaving?
Add new comment