Bengaluru: B Nagendra, a former minister and accused in the Valmiki Corporation scam, has been sentenced in a cheque bounce case. The court has ordered Nagendra and two other accused to pay a fine of Rs1 crore and 25 lakhs. If they fail to pay the fine, they will face one year of imprisonment, as stated by K.N. Shivakumar, the 42nd Additional Senior Judge.

The case stems from a financial dispute that began in 2013 between VSL Steels Limited and B. Nagendra, along with Anil Rajshekar Chunduru Bhaskar, partners of BC Infrastructure and Resource Company. The court directed that B. Nagendra’s partnership firm was liable to pay a total of Rs2 crore and 53 lakhs. As part of this arrangement, a cheque of Rs1 crore was issued.

In 2022, the cheque bounced, leading VSL Steels Limited to file a case. Following a review of the evidence, the court ruled that Nagendra should pay a fine of Rs1 crore and 23 lakhs, with Rs10,000 to be paid to the government and the remaining amount to the plaintiff company. The court made it clear that failure to pay this amount would result in a one-year prison sentence.

This case adds to the legal troubles faced by Nagendra amid ongoing investigations into various

allegations related to corruption and irregularities in the Valmiki Corporation.

Governor okays prosecution The Governor of Karnataka, Thawar Chand Gehlot, has granted permission for the prosecution of former minister B. Nagendra in connection with the money laundering case tied to the Karnataka Valmiki Development Corporation scam. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had made a request for this approval, and it was formally granted today, April 09. This development has placed Nagendra in a challenging position once again.

Nagendra’s name has surfaced in the corruption scandal involving the Valmiki Development Corporation while he was a minister. In light of these allegations, he resigned from his ministerial position on June 6, 2024. Following this, he was arrested by ED officials and taken to Parappana Agrahara Jail. Nagendra was later released on bail and expressed his ambitions to return to the ministerial cabinet.

Recently, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah publicly stated that Nagendra would soon be re-inducted into the cabinet, which fueled Nagendra’s eagerness to reclaim his ministerial role. However, the Governor’s approval for prosecution now raises further legal hurdles for Nagendra.The ED has submitted a massive charge sheet comprising 4,970 pages in the Valmiki Corporation scam, which involves a total alleged fraud of Rs187 crore. The charge sheet includes claims of Rs 84 crore in illicit transactions linked to Nagendra and his associates. It has been stated that he orchestrated these illegal activities and attempted to destroy evidence to conceal the wrongdoing.

The ED has identified Nagendra as “A1” in the charge sheet, reinforcing allegations that he played a significant role in the corruption scandal. This development indicates that the legal scrutiny over Nagendra’s actions is intensifying, leaving him in a precarious situation as he navigates the complexities of the legal system amid political aspirations.