Frustrated with Government inaction, Karnataka Lokayukta quits

M.today

Bangalore, Jun 23 : Justice N. Santosh Hegde, Lokayukta of Karnataka has resigned today, june 23.  He has submitted his resignation to the Karnataka Governor, H R Bharadwaj at 5.30 pm.. Addressing a press conference today at 7.00 pm, he said "I don’t want to be useless sitting in a position. It is not enough if I catch people. I need powers to bring cases to logical conclusion,"

"I have, as you all knew, tendered my resignation from the post of Lokayukta, Karnataka, to his excellency the Governor HR Bhardwaj," the former Supreme Court judge said.

"It is a four-line letter as required under the provisions of the Lokayukta Act. I have tendered my resignation from the post of Lokayukta with effect from August 31, 2010," he said.

"Under the Lokayukta Act, when a person is not occupying the post, that post becomes defunct and not vacant.

Since the post of Upa Lokayukta remained vacant in the last six months, I will be there till August 31," Hegde said.

Justice Hedge said he could have continued in the post enjoying the perks like car with red beacon but he was only following his father’s advice that "don’t stay in a place where you are made to feel you are unwanted".

 

Former Supreme Court judge Hegde, like former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice M N Venkatachaliah, had been demanding greater authority from the state government, including suo moto power to probe corrupt officials.

Successive governments in Karnataka have been speaking of empowering the Lokayukta, but no such development has taken place in view of the unified opposition from state bureaucrats and politicians.

Justice Hegde was also frustrated with the state government’s attitude of delaying "necessary action" against officials caught on corruption charges the Lokayukta.

Justice Hegde’s team, which was probing the activities of Bellary’s powerful Reddy brothers’ mining mafia, had also prepared a report on illegal mining in the state. The Lokayukta however felt that the state government was not acting in the right direction towards the report.

During his tenure, Justice Hegde carried out over 100 successful raids and nabbed many officers having disproportionate assets.

His office had even caught two-time BJP legislator Y Sampangi for allegedly taking a Rs 5 lakh bribe to settle a land dispute in January 2009.

 
The Lokayukta was snubbed when a seven-member special House panel let off Sampangi in March 2010. The panel, which included four BJP legislators, concluded that "in the absence of sufficient evidences to prove the guilt as registered by the police, it is difficult to say that the member of the House has misused his office or conducted himself in an improper manner".

Justice Hegde had once said that "consecutive governments have not taken the issue of corruption seriously. Amendments are in fact made to dilute law (as in Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988)."

Justice Hegde was appointed as Karnataka Lokayukta on August 3, 2006 for a term of five years and still had 14 months left in his tenure. He was given a public service award from Transparency International for his work.