Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has written to the Chief Election Commissioner demanding the transfer of Hassan Deputy Commissioner C. Sathyabhama, alleging that she raised funds from government officials for a programme attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently.
Mr. Deve Gowda, in his letter on March 20, alleged that the DC was a close confidant of Cooperation Minister K.N. Rajanna, who is also Minister in-charge of Hassan district. Both belonged to the “same community”, he said. The officer always functioned as per the directions of the Minister, he alleged.
Further, he said, the Hassan district administration under the leadership of the Deputy Commissioner collected funds from government departments for the public function, held on March 1. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attended the programme.
Based on the complaint, the commission sent a notice to the officer seeking her reply on March 21. She was asked to submit a report along with her reply to the complaint within 24 hours.
When The Hindu contacted the officer on Saturday, the Deputy Commissioner said she gave a reply within 24 hours. However, she refused to share the contents of her reply.
