FIR against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman

Bangalore, Feb 10: Karnataka government has registered an FIR against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan and two others on charges of committing financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 102.02 crore in the Amanath Cooperative Bank.

The FIR lodged by the Karnataka Cooperative Department accused Khan of granting 48 loans to the extent of Rs 57.66 crore in benami names when he was the bank chairman during 1989-2002.

State''s Minister for Cooperation Laxman Savadi told reporters here that the Cooperation Department Joint Registar Sehar Bhanu, who had conducted an inquiry into alleged irregularities and financial mismanagement, has submitted a report to the government stating Rs 102.02 crore loss has been caused.

The report has recommended to the government that Rs 10.79 crore be recovered from Khan and his relatives.

Others against whom FIR has been filed included former chairman Zia-ul-Sharief and A A Katib, a former director of the bank which was formed in 1977 basically to help the poor among the Muslims.

A report would be sent to the Centre on the issue,Savadi said.

The complaint was registered on February nine.

Meanwhile, Khan rubbished the charges as "baseless" and said he would challenge the complaint.

"I deny all allegations. No notice was served. No explanation was sought from me. The official has straight away filed the FIR. I am going to challenge it," Khan, who was upset by the development, told PTI here.

Khan, one of the founders of the Bank, said "whatever they have mentioned in the FIR, I totally deny them".

Khan, a senior Congress leader, also said there was a "political motive" in filing the FIR but refused to name any political party.

"The Bank''s CEO Sehar Bhanu has filed the FIR as I had filed a defamation case against him about eight months ago," Khan said.

Bhanu, Joint Registrar of Department of Cooperation and also the administrator of the Amanath Bank had filed the complaint with the Commercial Street Police station here.

PTI