Overview
- The State Home Department refused to grant prosecution sanction for DySP Sridhar Pujar and Inspectors D.M. Prashanth Babu, Lakshmikanthaiah and Chandradhar, a decision reported on Thursday that bars courts from trying serving officers without prior approval.
- Following the denial, the CID Special Investigation Team filed a ‘B’ report and omitted the four officers from its charge sheet, a procedural step that effectively closes criminal proceedings against them unless fresh sanction or new evidence emerges.
- The SIT’s probe alleged collusion between those officers, hacker Srikrishna Ramesh (Sriki) and cyber expert Santosh Kumar that led to unlawful access and transfer of bitcoins valued at about ₹1.83 crore from wallets linked to Robin Khandeval and others.
- Investigations and prosecutions against the prime accused, private cyber expert Santosh Kumar, remain active with the SIT reporting substantial evidence and having submitted multiple case reports to the courts.
- The case has long triggered political dispute in Karnataka over police conduct and custody of the hacker, and the Home Department’s refusal to sanction prosecutions could prompt renewed public and legal scrutiny of departmental rules and accountability.