Order to frame corruption charges against Jaffer Shariff set aside

Bangalore, Apr 17 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court today allowed a criminal petition filed by former Railway Minister C K Jaffer Shariff, challenging the validity of a lower court order to frame charges against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Mr Justice S R Bannurmath set aside the impugned order passed by the City Civil and Sessions Judge, Bangalore, dated April 13, 2000, directing framing of charges under Section 13(2) read with section 13(1) of the Act.

The petitioner submitted that a public interest litigation, filed by social worker H T Somashekar Reddy, had sought for a direction to register a case under the Act and file a charge sheet against him, alleging that during his tenure as Member of Parliament and as Minister between January 1980 and November 1995, he had amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Accordingly, a case had been registered and the impugned order of framing of charges had been passed.

The petitioner, during arguments, withdrew his prayer to quash the proceedings and retained only the prayer for setting aside the order of framing charges, which was allowed by the High Court.

UNI