Last Updated:
While the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission found no conclusive evidence to back the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association’s claim that officials and ministers in the BJP regime were demanding a fixed 40 per cent commission, it flagged rampant corruption
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah receives the report of the committee headed by retired Justice Nagamohan Das. (PTI)
The Karnataka cabinet has decided to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations of 40 per cent commission in public works contracts during the BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai.
Law minister HK Patil, while announcing the decision after the cabinet meeting, said: “The SIT will not just be a police team. It will include technical experts. It has been tasked with investigating the irregularities flagged in the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission report. It has been given two months to complete the inquiry.”
The move comes days after the commission submitted its 20,000-page report to chief minister Siddaramaiah. The panel examined 1,729 files across five key departments—public works, irrigation, urban development, rural development and panchayat raj, and minor irrigation—across 31 districts. It investigated nearly three lakh government projects executed between July 2019 and March 2023.
While the panel found no conclusive evidence to back the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association’s claim that officials and ministers in the BJP regime were demanding a fixed 40 per cent commission, it flagged rampant corruption.
“The commission report points out irregularities in planning, fund release, and issuance of LOCs. It also says intermediaries were involved in the tender allocation process. Considering the seriousness of these findings, the cabinet has decided to set up an SIT,” Patil said.
Asked about Justice Nagamohan Das’ comment that the 40 per cent charge couldn’t be substantiated, Patil replied, “I’m not concerned with that statement. The departments in which irregularities were found have been clearly mentioned in the report. Justice Nagamohan Das has investigated where corruption happened. There are very specific cases mentioned in the report. He has mentioned department-wise what they found in their investigation.”
The panel’s report was based on a complaint by the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association, which had accused politicians and officials under the BJP regime of demanding commissions for clearing bills.
The association’s allegations became a major poll plank of the Congress campaign in the 2023 assembly elections and helped deliver the party a landslide victory, while the BJP was reduced to just 66 seats.
Meanwhile, the association turned the spotlight on the Congress government, alleging the same corrupt practices have continued. The outfit’s president D Manjunath claimed that they have also flagged to the chief minister and deputy chief minister that “compared to the previous government, the present one is demanding a higher percentage”.
The cabinet, it is learnt, has also said it would be considering filing FIRs against former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and former health minister B Sriramulu based on the Justice Michael D’Cunha Commission’s interim report on irregularities in Covid-related procurement. The D’Cunha report, submitted in November 2024, had recommended action against both leaders.
