2 days ago
Smart meter scam allegations: Minister faces legal heat
Bengaluru: Energy Minister KJ George is facing fresh trouble over the alleged irregularities in the procurement of smart electricity meters. BJP legislators Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, S.R. Vishwanath, and Dheeraj Muniraju have filed a private complaint in the Special Court for People's Representatives, escalating their earlier complaint filed with the Lokayukta.
The BJP has accused the Energy Department of serious corruption, alleging that a massive contract worth ₹10,000 crore was unfairly awarded to Davanagere-based Rajashree Electricals, sidelining other eligible companies.
The complaint claims that companies were deliberately prevented from participating in the tender, with smart meters being procured at highly inflated prices—reportedly sold to consumers at ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 while they are available at ₹900 in other states. Senior advocate Lakshmi Iyengar, representing the complainants, argued that this was a major scam.
She stated that a global tender should have been floated for such a large-scale project under the RDSS scheme, but instead, Rajashree Electricals, which handled just ₹354 crore worth of business, was awarded a ₹5,296 crore, 10-year contract.
The tender was projected as a ₹997 crore deal to downplay its scale, she added.
Though the tender was meant only for BESCOM, the same smart meters were reportedly extended to other ESCOMs without proper authorization—raising concerns of procedural violations.
The BJP leaders have also approached the Governor, requesting permission for investigation, and accused the Lokayukta police of failing to act despite their initial complaint.
The special court, presided over by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, has taken up the matter and is expected to decide today on whether to admit the private complaint for
investigation.
