Chargesheet against minister Byrathi Suresh stayed

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The High Court has granted an interim stay to the charge sheet filed against Minister Byrathi Suresh in connection with the case of allegedly flouting safety measures under Section 13 of the Karnataka Fire Force Act-1964 in a commercial building purchased by him nine years ago.

A trial court had issued summons for the minister to appear before it on December 9. B.S.Suresh (Byrathi Suresh) had approached the HC seeking that the charge sheet against him and the proceedings in the X ACMM Court of the city should be quashed.

Justice M Nagaprasanna heard the criminal petition and granted the stay and adjourned the hearing to December 15.

In 2014, Byrathi Suresh had purchased a commercial building in Indiranagar HAL 2nd Phase in Survey No. 765 which had a map sanction in 2005-06.

According to the revised master plan of 2015, buildings with a height of 24 meters should obtain NOC from the fire department. The building in question is below 24 meters.

However, the Indiranagar police registered an FIR against Byrathi Suresh based on a complaint by fire officials that the safety measures required for high-rise buildings were not followed.

The court stayed the FIR on September 9, 2019. Despite the stay, the police have filed the charge to the X ACMM Court, the petition claimed. The counsel for Suresh argued before the HC that the petitioner purchased the building having necessary approvals and other permits.

This building was purchased before the Revised Master Plan 2015 came into effect.

The building was purchased three years after the 2011 notification of the fire department and eight years after it had been constructed, therefore he was not responsible for the lapse of the earlier owner, he argued.

Although there was a stay of the High Court on the FIR, the trial court issued a summons to attend the hearing on December 9, the HC was informed.

As the petitioner was an MLA and Minister, he has to attend the Assembly Session to be held in Belagavi he submitted.