Overview
- On Thursday, BJP MLA Cement Manjunath alleged inflated billing for smart locks at the Legislators’ Home and urged Speaker U.T. Khader to step down pending a judicial investigation.
- Manjunath cited installations in 224 rooms and claimed market prices of about Rs 11,744 per unit were billed at roughly Rs 49,300, also alleging a skewed process favoring contractors from the Speaker’s district.
- Earlier this week, former Speaker and BJP MP Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri demanded a probe by a sitting judge and pressed to bring the Speaker’s office under the RTI Act.
- Kageri further alleged that purchases during Khader’s tenure used 4(g) no‑tender exemptions and gained approval after initial Finance Department objections, naming items like AI‑monitored TVs and a Rs 4.5 crore book fair.
- Responding on Wednesday, Khader said he is ready to clarify any issue if questions are submitted in writing, while no judge-led inquiry or independent audit findings have been announced.