Senior Karnataka Minister May Be Arrested In Cash Hoarding Case

A senior minister in the Siddaramaiah government may be arrested for hoarding Rs 5.7 crore in new Rs 2,000 notes, revealed a Times of India report. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expecting to prosecute the minister and is supposedly waiting for the political go-ahead before making the move.

The already-suspended chief project officer of Karnataka State Highways Development Project, S C Jayachandra, who is now in ED’s custody, reportedly revealed the involvement of two ministers. The ED had arrested Jayachandra last Monday (5 December) under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had already suspended Jayachandra and T N Chikkarayappa, managing director of Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd. The Times also reported that the government asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau to take up the case, showing that the government was in no mood to obstruct the investigation.