As anticipated Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday inducted his close aide and former Minister KJ George as a Cabinet Minister into his Cabinet sending a strong political message to his retractors. George, who had to resign as a Minister after his name figured in the alleged suicide of Deputy SP MK Ganapathy got a clean chit from the State CID. After his death the issue was referred to CID which gave him a clean chit few days back.
George, a political bigwig in the State Congress and close confidant of Chief Minister, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Vajubhai Vala at a ceremony held in Raj Bhavan.
George had resigned on July 18, soon after a court in Madikeri in Kodagu district directed police to register an FIR against him and two police officers in connection with the suicide of 51-year-old MK Ganapathy.
DYSP Ganapathy was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room at a lodge in Madikeri on July 7, prior to which he gave an interview to a local TV channel saying the Minister and AM Prasad (now Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety) and Pranab Mohanty (now on central deputation as Additional Deputy Director General of UIDAI) would be responsible “if anything happens to me.”
The court had issued directions based on a private criminal complaint by Ganapathy’s son, Nehal, requesting it to direct police to take up investigation against the minister and the officers for allegedly abetting his father’s suicide.
Karnataka CID, which investigated the case, on September 17 gave a clean chit to George and two senior police officers in its ‘B’ report, filed in a court in Madikeri.
Speaking to the media after he took the oath of office as a Cabinet-rank minister at the Raj Bhavan, George expressed his gratefulness to the people of Karnataka and thanked his colleagues who had stood with him during the time of crisis.
“I know that I have not done anything wrong, that’s why I voluntarily resigned on moral grounds. Today as per the HC direction, the entire incident was investigated and I was given a clean chit to me,” he said.
George is likely to retain Bengaluru Development and Town Planning portfolio, which he had held when he stepped down amid a huge political storm in the state with the Opposition gunning for him. He had also held the Home portfolio earlier.
With the re-induction of George, the strength of the Siddaramaiah ministry now stands at 34, the maximum constitutional limit for the state. Both opposition parties BJP and JD(S) have taken exception to the re-induction of George. Earlier this month, Siddaramaiah on September 5 had expanded his Cabinet by inducting M Krishnappa into his Ministry.