Bangalore:
Within hours of being named as Karnataka Chief Minister, a private complaint was filed on Wednesday against Jagadish Shettar in the Lokayukta court alleging irregularities in land denotification by him six years ago.
The complaint filed before Lokayukta Judge NK Sundhindra Rao alleged that Mr Shettar denotified 178 acres in 2006 as Revenue Minister violating rules that caused a revenue loss of Rs 250 crore to the state exchequer.
The complainant, city based social activist SM Chethan, pleaded for action under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act against Shettar, who is to be sworn in as Chief Minister tomorrow.
Mr Shettar was today appointed as Chief Minister and invited to form the government by Governor HR Bhardwaj after incumbent DV Sadananda Gowda resigned in a change of leadership following intra-party power struggle in the BJP.
The Judge posted the complaint to July 21 for orders on probe.
The complainant alleged that Mr Shettar, without cabinet approval, had denotified 178 acres out of 376 acres acquired in 2006 for establishing a single roof mega farmers market at Dasanapura near Bangalore on applications by some land sharks along with farmers who owned the land.
This caused a loss of Rs 250 crore to the state exchequer at the present market value of the land, he alleged, but added the project was never implemented.
Mr Shettar along with the then Special Land Acquisition Officer and the then Director, Agriculture Marketing Board stand accused in the case.
Mr Shettar is the latest BJP leader to court controversy over land denotification, which has come to haunt the BJP regime in the state with former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and several ministers and MLAs battling legal proceedings.