SC issues notice to George in DySP Ganapathy's death case

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to Bengaluru Development Minister K J George, seeking his response in a plea for a CBI probe into the suicide of deputy superintendent of police M K Ganapathy on July 7 last year.

Before his death, the officer, then posted at the office of Inspector General of Police, Mangaluru, had in a TV interview accused the minister and senior officers A M Prasad and Pranab Mohanty of harassing him.

George, who subsequently had to resign as home minister, was reinstated after a CID probe cleared his name.

Acting on a plea by Ganapathy’s father M K Kushalappa, a bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and U U Lalit decided to issue notice to George and the two IPS officers. The court sought their response within four weeks to the petition seeking CBI investigation into the death.

Kushalappa and his other son challenged the Karnataka High Court order of October 19, rejecting a
plea for CBI probe. In its response to Kushalappa’s petition in the apex court, the state government claimed a thorough and in-depth investigation had been conducted.

During the probe, the minister had resigned and the two officers were transferred. The state also submitted that a judicial probe by former high court judge Justice Keshavanarayan had already been ordered. The investigation report was expected shortly, the government said.