Karnataka high court has received a number of public interest litigations seeking CBI probe in the IMA scam. Meanwhile, the state government has justified its decision of directing the SIT by stating that CBI has many pending cases to be solved.
Bengaluru: I Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam has grown from Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore scam. With Karnataka government's decision to hand over the case to Special Investigation Team (SIT), the high court has received plenty of Public Interest Litigations (PIL) demanding CBI inquiry into the scam.
Hearing the PIL filed by Rasheed Nagar and Nazia Banu, from Shivajinagar, Bengaluru, the division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice HT Narendra Prasad sought status report from the Karnataka government on the probe in IMA scam.
The high court also issued notices to scam-accused IMA group, Burraq group, Aala Ventures, Tiforp Trading Service Private Limited and other companies alleged of cheating their investors.
Meanwhile, the SIT is awaiting Karnataka high court's order to impose the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (KPID) Act, 2004. This direction will give a free hand to the police to identify all properties owned by Mansoor Khan.
Two similar PILs demanding CBI probe into IMA scam were heard by a single bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe.
So far more than 38,000 persons have filed complaints with the police against the IMA group.
The Karnataka government has justified its decision of directing the SIT by stating that CBI has many pending cases to be solved. Whereas the state-led CID is handling 17 cases and CCB is handling seven cases.
Murder cases of journalist Gowri Lankesh and rationalist MM Kalaburagi are also being probed by the SIT. Gowri Lankesh's family had told that they are happy with the progress made by the SIT in the case.
Currently, IMA owner Mohammed Mansoor Khan is still absconding.
The scam came to the fore when Mansoor Khan released an audio clip on June 10, and threatened to commit suicide blaming bribes to bureaucrats and politicians. This clip surfaced after the first cheating complaint was filed against IMA owner Mansoor Khan at Commercial Street police station in Bengaluru.
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