The Karnataka Cabinet decided to hand over the interim report on alleged COVID-19 irregularities to a team of officials led by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) LK Atheeq on Thursday, September 5.
The report, submitted by a commission led by retired High Court judge Justice Michael D’Cunha, highlights irregularities during the COVID-19 pandemic in procurement and management under the previous BJP government.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil, while briefing reporters, said that the report points to a scam worth "hundreds of crores" and flagged that several important files related to COVID-19 management were missing. The report was probing alleged irregularities in procurement apart from other violations during the COVID-19 pandemic that took place under the BJP government in the state.
“Misappropriation, mishandling and malpractice worth hundreds of crores has taken place (as per the report). Many files that are said to be missing were not submitted to him (Justice D’Cunha) despite attempts to track the files,” he said.
According to media reports, the 1,722-page interim report, submitted on August 30 to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, suggests that around Rs 1,000 crore was syphoned off.
The interim report is expected to be further analysed by top state officials and submitted to the government again for review within the next month. The full report is scheduled for completion within six months, with the possibility of it being tabled during the winter session of Parliament.
The commission was established by the Congress-led government in August 2023, following concerns raised by the public accounts committee over pandemic-related procurement of medicines, equipment and oxygen mismanagement that led to the deaths of people. The interim report is in 11 parts and has analysed expenses amounting to Rs 7,223 crore.
Shortly after the Commission submitted its report, former Health Minister and current Chikkaballapur BJP MP, Dr K Sudhakar, criticised it as "politically motivated." He accused the Congress government of engaging in "vendetta politics." During the Lok Sabha elections, Siddaramaiah had claimed that there was substantial evidence of corruption against Sudhakar and confidently said that he would "go to jail 100 percent."