114 legislators fail to submit details of assets to Lokayukta

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, July 13, 2015 DHNS: A total of 114 legislators, including political heavyweights such as H D Kumaraswamy, D K Shivakumar, K S Eshwarappa and R V Deshpande, have missed the date for mandatory submission of assets and liabilities to the Lokayukta on June 30. In all, 97 MLAs and 17 MLCs have failed to submit the annual returns to the Lokayukta.

The names of eight ministers figure in the Lokayukta’s list of defaulters, a copy of which is available with the Deccan Herald. The ministers who have failed to submit the details about assets and liabilities are D K Shivakumar (Minister for Energy), Babu Rao Chinchanasur (Minister for Textiles and Ports and Inland Transport), R V Despande (Minister for Higher Education and Tourism), U T Khader (Minister for Health and Family Welfare), Parameshwar Naik P T (Minister for Labour), M B Patil (Minister for major and medium irrigation), Shivaraj S Thangadagi (Minister for Minor Irrigation) and Vinay Kumar Sorake (Minister for Urban Development).

The trend shows that the elected representatives do not take it seriously to submit the statement of assets and liabilities. Last year, 63 MLAs and 16 MLCs, including five ministers, had not filed the statement by June 30. As per Section 22 (1) of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, MLAs and MLCs have to submit details of assets and liabilities, including those of their family members, in a prescribed format before June 30.

However, legislators will have two more months to submit the statement with an explanation for late submission. According to the provisions of the Lokayukta Act, a report has been sent in this regard, details of the members who have failed to submit by June 30, to the Governor, a Lokayukta official said.

If members fail to submit the statement even after two months, the Lokayukta office releases their names to newspapers and a case will also be booked under Section 176 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In fact, Khader and Babu Rao Chinchanasur are the two ministers who had failed to submit the details last year also.

This year, the number of defaulters has gone up drastically. A total of 55 MLAs from the Congress, 28 from the JD(S), eight from the BJP and six from minor parties and Independents have failed to submit the assets and liabilities.

Among the MLAs who have failed to submit include JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, H D Revanna (JD-S) Anil Lad (Congress), Muniratna (Congress), N A Harris (Congress), Zameer Ahmed Khan (JD-S), S R Vishwanath (BJP) and Ashok Kheny (KMP). Some of the important names among the 17 MLCs who have failed to submit the details are Leader of Opposition in the Council K S Eshwarappa, actor-politician Jaggesh (BJP), Allam Prabhu Patil (Congress) and T A Saravana (JD-S).