- 1 - NC: 2025:KHC-D:2991 CRL.P No. 100134 of 2025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA, DHARWAD BENCH DATED THIS THE 13TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025 BEFORE THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HEMANT CHANDANGOUDAR CRIMINAL PETITION NO. 100134 OF 2025 (482(Cr.PC)/528(BNSS)) BETWEEN: SHRI. APPASAHEB S/O. SHIDDALING KAMBLE, AGED ABOUT 60 YEARS, JOINT DIRECTOR OF TOWN, AND COUNTRY PLANNING DEPARTMENT, (NOW UNDER SUSPENSION), R/AT PLOT NO.3068, RAMTEERTH NAGAR, BELAGAVI-590015. …PETITIONER (BY SRI. SHIVAPRASAD SHANTANAGOUDAR, ADVOCATE) AND: STATE OF KARNATAKA BY LOKAYUKTA POLICE, BELAGAVI, R/BY SPECIAL PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA, DHARWAD BENCH, DHARWAD-580011. …RESPONDENT (BY SRI. SANTOSH MALAGOUDAR, ADVOCATE) THIS CRIMINAL PETITION IS FILED U/S 482 OF CR.P.C. (528 OF BNSS), SEEKING TO QUASH THE SOURCE INFORMATION REPORT BEARING NO.DSP-02/Ka.Lo/BELAGAVI/So.Va-02/2023 DATED 20.10.2023 (ANNEXURE-A), ORDER BEARING NO.SP/KLo/ BELAGAVI/NADUVALI/02.2023 DATED 26.10.2023 PASSED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, LOKAYUKTA BELAGAVI (ANNEXURE-B) AND FIR BEARING CRIME NO.14/2023 REGISTERED BY THE RESPONDENT LOKAYUKTA POLICE FOR THE OFFENCE PUNISHABLE U/S 13(1)(b) R/W 13(2) OF THE PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT, 1988 (AMENDMENT ACT 2018) DATED 26.10.2023 AGAINST THE PETITIONER (ANNEXURE-C), PENDING ON THE FILE OF IV ADDL.DISTRICT AND SESSIONS COURT AND SPECIAL JUDGE, BELAGAVI, AND ALL FURTHER INVESTIGATION ARISING THEREFROM THAT HAS BEEN INITIATED AGAINST THE PETITIONER. Digitally signed by B K MAHENDRAKUMAR Location: HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA DHARWAD BENCH Date: 2025.02.19 13:15:20 +0530 - 2 - NC: 2025:KHC-D:2991 CRL.P No. 100134 of 2025 THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR ADMISSION, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HEMANT CHANDANGOUDAR ORAL ORDER 1. The petitioner challenges the registration of the FIR for offences punishable under Sections 13(1)(b) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (PC Act). 2. The prosecution alleges that the petitioner, who is serving as the Joint Director of the Town and Country Planning Department, is in possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the extent of 64.86%. 3. The petitioner challenges the proceedings primarily on the following grounds: • The order passed under the second proviso to Section 17(c) of the PC Act lacks proper reasoning and application of mind, as it does not assign any reasons while authorizing the Police Inspector to investigate the offence. • No preliminary enquiry was conducted before the registration of the FIR. 4. A perusal of the order passed under the second proviso to Section 17(c) of the PC Act reveals that, apart from merely stating that the petitioner possesses assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the extent of 64.86%, the order does not mention: - 3 - NC: 2025:KHC-D:2991 CRL.P No. 100134 of 2025 • The check period, • The income of the accused during the check period, • The assets possessed by the accused during the check period, • The assets of the accused and his family prior to his joining service. 5. The learned counsel for the respondent/Lokayukta, by filing a statement of objections, has strongly opposed the petition, contending that: • The petitioner has not specifically raised any challenge regarding Section 17 of the PC Act. • Even otherwise, the Superintendent of Police (SP) applied his mind and passed an order authorizing the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy.S.P.) to investigate the matter. • The said order is administrative in nature and does not require detailed reasoning. • The petitioner has no locus standi to challenge an administrative order, nor does he have the right to choose the investigating officer. • The SP’s authorization is not necessary, as the Dy.S.P. is independently empowered to investigate. - 4 - NC: 2025:KHC-D:2991 CRL.P No. 100134 of 2025 • The SP, after receiving the source report, conducted a preliminary enquiry to verify its genuineness before passing the order under Section 17 of the PC Act. • The check period need not be mentioned in the FIR, as the FIR is not an encyclopedia; such details can be provided at the charge sheet stage. • The petitioner possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, justifying the registration of the FIR. 6. The issue involved in this petition has already been examined by a Co-ordinate Bench of this Court in Crl.P.No.1019/2024, disposed of on 25.04.2024, wherein it was held as follows: Para 17: Upon perusal of the Superintendent of Police’s order dated 30.05.2023, there is no mention of any preliminary enquiry conducted before passing the order. The order merely states that the SP received the source report, applied his mind, and was satisfied that a prima facie case was made out against the petitioner/accused, thereby directing the registration of the FIR. However, no details regarding the petitioner’s income, check period, assets, and liabilities before and during his service are mentioned. A mere assertion that “mind has been applied” is insufficient to establish proper application of mind. Para 18: The police should have first registered the FIR, sent the source report along with it, and only thereafter should the SP have passed the authorization order under Section 17 of the PC Act. The Co-ordinate Bench of this Court in Udaya Ravi v. State of Karnataka (W.P. No.104906/2023, dated 20.12.2023) and Balakrishna H.N. v. State of Karnataka (W.P. No.15886/2022, dated 03.01.2023) has taken a similar view, holding that FIRs registered in such - 5 - NC: 2025:KHC-D:2991 CRL.P No. 100134 of 2025 circumstances are liable to be quashed. Further, in T.N. Sudhakar Reddy v. State of Karnataka, Lokayukta (Crl.P. No.13460/2023, dated 04.03.2024), this Court, after considering the precedent, quashed the FIR on identical grounds. 7. The contentions raised by the respondent/Lokayukta were considered and rejected by the Co-ordinate Bench of this Court in the aforementioned case. The decision in Crl.P.No.1019/2024 was challenged by the respondent/Lokayukta before the Hon’ble Supreme Court in SLP (Crl.) No.16113/2024, which was dismissed on 22.01.2025, while keeping open the question of law. 8. In the present case, the order passed under the second proviso to Section 17(c) of the PC Act is not a speaking order, as no reasons have been assigned for granting authorization to the police to investigate the offence. Furthermore, the FIR was registered without conducting a preliminary enquiry, which has been held to be mandatory by the Co-ordinate Bench of this Court in the above-cited decisions. 9. In light of the foregoing discussion, the continuation of the investigation against the petitioner would not serve the interests of justice. Accordingly, the petition is allowed, and the impugned FIR in Crime No.14/2023, registered by the respondent/Lokayukta (formerly ACB), Belagavi, is hereby quashed. However, liberty is reserved to the respondent/Lokayukta to take appropriate action against the petitioner in accordance with law. - 6 - NC: 2025:KHC-D:2991 CRL.P No. 100134 of 2025 10. All pending applications, if any, are disposed of as not surviving for consideration. Ordered accordingly. Sd/- (HEMANT CHANDANGOUDAR) JUDGE AC CT:VH List No.: 1 Sl No.: 138