Karnataka Lokayukta corruption case: What more will it take Mr Ayukta?

Bengaluru: While the clamour for Lokayukta Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao’s resignation increased with various organisations holding protests, the office functioned as usual, but wore a deserted look with most top officials, including registrar, joint commissioner and the public relations officer, conspicuous by their absence. Though the Lokayukta was present in the office in the morning, he left for lunch and did not return.

In a major embarrassment to the Lokayukta, members of the Advocates Association and Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) gathered in front of his office and shouted slogans demanding his resignation. Senior advocates and KRV activists staged a protest from 11 am to 2.30 pm. They also tried to block Justice Rao’s car while he was going out for lunch. The police sprang into action and cleared the way for the car.

They detained around 50 KRV activists, bundled them into a bus and took them under preventive custody. “Our demands are for a CBI probe and the Lokayukta should be arrested under Prevention of Corruption Act as his own son has been accused of running an extortion racket, that too within the Lokayukta office,” said A.R.S. Kumar, a senior advocate.

Former president of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, Subba Reddy, who led the protest, met Justice Rao and demanded that he either quit or go on leave until the probe is over. Subba Reddy told media, “Mr Rao will step down after the probe, whether it is in his favour or not and that at this juncture he will not step down,” adding that even the Lokayukta himself was not keen on continuing with the post for long.

The Lokayukta continued to remain incommunicado, the registrar H.R. Deshpande who runs the administration has gone on unconditional leave along with the Joint Commissioner and public relations officer Syed Riyaz from Monday. While Riyaz is said to be on a 17-day leave, as he has reportedly gone for Umrah in Mecca, there is no clue about the registrar’s whereabouts. His gazetted assistant Jayashree said that the registrar was out of station on personal leave and M.S. Balakrishna has been named as the in-charge registrar.

Only Upalokayuktas Justice S.B. Majage and Justice Subhash Adi were present at the office. All the proceedings and actions related to the corruption charges have been halted at the Lokayukta office. Only the court proceedings on the corruption charges will continue at the High Court.

CCTV cameras on the blink

“At the Lokayukta office, on one hand, there are plastic chairs for complainants with functioning CCTV cameras on all floors and on the other, there are AC conference halls with executive chairs for “meeting” accused government officials where there are CCTV cameras that do not function,” said a senior advocate A.R.S. Kumar.

Vested interests targeting my father: Ashwin Rao

There are vested interests in the Lokayukta, who are targeting my father through me and want him to step down is what Ashwin Y, son of Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao, has reportedly told to sources close to him in his defence against the corruption charges and the First Information Report, which has been registered by the Lokayukta police (city wing) against him.

The FIR was registered on July 1 against Ashwin under the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code for extortion, impersonation and cheating after the executive engineer, Zilla Panchayat Krishna murthy identified him as the elusive Krishna Rao, who had reportedly called him to the Lokayukta office on May 4 and demanded a bribe of Rs 1 crore and gave a written complaint to the Superintendent of Police, Lokayukta (City wing) Sonia Narang.

“Ashwin feels he is being framed and there’s a bigger conspiracy; to shield an influential public servant, who has not been named in the FIR and unseat his father. The time on the FIR is 12 pm, but the special Lokayukta judge received it only at 2.25 pm, after the High Court had stayed the in-house investigation by the Lokayukta police. The special court is next to the Lokayukta police station. Was the time on the FIR antedated to prevent the stay order? Also the date of the incident, when based on Krishnamurthy’s complaint the SP had written to the Registrar was May 5, but when Ashwin in his affidavit mentioned that on that day he was in Hyderabad to get his visa papers processed, the date of the incident was changed to May 4 in the FIR,” the source added.

Who got the last call?

Did the last call of alleged extortion from the coterie inside Lokayukta made to a revenue officer in Bengaluru (South) before the scam was exposed by the City wing of the Lokayukta police? “The officer had received a call demanding money or a huge favour, but he refused to concede,” alleged an official source.

SIT awaiting orders to begin probe

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to investigate the alleged corruption within the Lokayukta office is still awaiting further orders to begin the probe. Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Kamal Pant, who is heading the investigation, said that he is yet to receive deputation orders from the government after he had proposed the names of the investigating team members in the SIT to the government.

So far the Lokayukta police wing, before the High Court order stayed their investigation, had analysed the call detail records (CDR), verified the CCTV footage and questioned some staff in connection with the allegation that Lokayukta’s son Ashwin Rao had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1 crore from the PWD executive engineer Krishnamurthy.

However, based on the investigations completed so far by the Lokayukta police, it reveals Mr. Ashwin Rao had allegedly threatened other government officials attempting to extort huge sums of cash from them.

Lokayukta orders ADGP Meena not to file cases

Lokayukta Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao through the in-charge registrar has directed the Additional Director General of Police Prem Shankar Meena, who is heading the Lokayukta Police wing, not to register any cases pertaining to the in-house corruption allegations.

In a two-paged letter issued on Thursday, it was also directed not to proceed with the investigation based on any complaints received on administrative side in the office of the Lokayukta.

The letter contended that the High Court had already stayed the investigations since the government has ordered for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter further. In order to avoid conflicting findings, it is appropriate that both Lokayukta and Upalokayukta shall not direct any in-house investigation and shall wait the report of the SIT, the letter read. “Any violations of the said rider of the High Court would amount to contempt of Court,” the letter stated.

AAP protest today

l Members from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will stage a protest before Gandhi statue at Anand Rao Circle at 2.30 pm on Saturday. They will also march towards Lokayukta’s official residence in Shivananda circle and gherao Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao, seeking his resignation.