A health department clerk in Kolar had to forgo his increment for turning hostile in a corruption case.

Venkatappa, a second division clerk at the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DHFW), turned hostile during the trial of corrupt village accountant K Subramani before the special court in Kolar. The Lokayukta trapped Subramani red-handed in October 2000 while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 400 from a villager to issue land records.

The Lokayukta filed a chargesheet and made Venkatappa a witness but because of the latter's about-turn, Subramani was acquitted. The Lokayukta filed a report with the DHFWC seeking disciplinary action against Venkatappa.

The DHFWC director conducted a detailed enquiry and found Venkatappa guilty of perjury, following which an order was passed to withhold his year's increment.