BENGALURU, 2 DEC

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a private complaint against Energy Minister KJ George concerning allegations of manipulation in the tender process for the supply and installation of smart meters. Justice MI Arun issued the order on a petition from George seeking to quash the case.

Additionally, similar petitions were submitted by former Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) Managing Director D Mahantesh Bilagi and Director of the Technical Department HJ Ramesh. The court also ordered the cessation of criminal proceedings against Bilagi, who passed away in a recent road accident.

The complaint, filed on 23 July, directed the registration of a private complaint report (PCR) against George, Bilagi, and Ramesh following allegations made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders CN Ashwath Narayan, SR Vishwanath, and Dheeraj Muniraj. The complainants accused George of conspiring with BESCOM officials to manipulate the smart meter tender process. They alleged that the tender was undervalued, that pre-qualification criteria were diluted, and that statutory procurement norms were violated to favour a pre-selected vendor.

In a parallel development, special court judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat ordered the registration of a PCR and sought a status report from the Lokayukta Police regarding earlier complaints made by the BJP leaders concerning the tender's alleged irregularities. Today’s ruling quashed the proceedings initiated by the trial court.