Opposition to Karnataka government: You let off the tainted, so why an Ayukta?

Bengaluru: When Justice Santosh Hegde speaks, the whole of Karnataka listens. For he was the man who ensured the ignominous exit of BJP strongman B.S. Yeddyurappaa from the CM’s post fours years ago with his explosive report on illegal mining.

This time, Justice Hegde, a former Lokayukta has the Congress government in his gunsights. Reason: The state cabinet’s decision on Thursday to reject the Lokayukta report seeking action against four tainted officers including the Bagalkot district tahsildar which has left him a very unhappy man.

Terming the Cabinet decision illegal at a programme here, Justice Hegde said as per Section 12(5) of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, if the Ayukta or Uplokayukta are not happy with a decision taken by the state government they can send a report to the governor and also report it to the competent authority. No doubt, the government has the power to accept or reject a report given by the anti-corruption body but it does not hold good in this case, he said.

Justice Hegde also felt the reasons given by the government to reject the Lokayukta report seeking action against three officials-Shashidhar Bagli, S.S. Somanala and Siddapa for their reported involvement in sand mining when they were tahsildhars in Jamkhandi taluk of Bagalkot, were ‘flimsy’. "Ordering a departmental inquiry against these tainted officials was not correct”, he added.

The opposition was quick to grab the opportunity provided by the government with leader of the opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar lamenting that the Lokayukta had lost its importance after the Siddaramaiah government came to power. He said the decision of the cabinet not to act against the tainted officers proves that the government was trying to protect them because of their proximity to local ruling party leaders.

Referring the charges for a department inquiry was only to give a decent burial to the case, said the BJP leader, adding, “The anti-corruption agency will lose interest if the government goes on rejecting its report to protect dishonest officials”.

Former CM Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy too lashed out at the CM saying he had proved he is openly supporting corrupt officials. The sand mafia has become stronger after the Congress government came to power, he said.

“Natural resources of the state are not safe in the hands of the Siddaramaiah government”.