Upa Lokayukta case: Karnataka High Court seeks Assembly documents

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Friday directed authorities concerned to submit transcriptions, documents and website server details with regard to the proceedings initiated against Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi by the Assembly.

A week ago the Karnataka High Court had expressed displeasure against Advocate General Madhusudhan R. Naik for remaining unavailable during the hearing of the case, where Justice Adi had challenged the motion adopted against him by the Assembly for his ouster as Upa Lokayukta
Justice Raghavendra S. Chauhan passed the directions while seeking clarification over the allegation of tampering of the web-post in the official website of Karnataka Legislature - http://www.kla.kar.nic.in and further sought details of records in the web server to be submitted on February 10.

Meanwhile, former advocate general and senior advocate B V Acharya, appearing for Justice Adi, submitted that when the proceedings of the assembly were posted in the official website, it said that the motion was ‘admitted’, but later there were changes made in the website.

However, the advocate general argued that the motion was never ‘admitted’ and that there was commotion in the assembly and the stenographer had only left spaces to indicate the commotion.

He further argued that there was a note made by the Speaker that necessary steps will be taken with regard to the motion moved against Justice Adi in accordance with the Lokayukta Act.

New courts: Lip service not enough, says HC

The Karnataka High Court on Friday took state government to task while observing that mere lip services and assurances of setting up 205 more additional courts was not enough, but instead it should work from the ground level in the matter. It further expressed displeasure stating that despite repeated requests over setting up of additional courts in the state, none of the requests have turned operational.

The court was hearing a case wherein it said that though there are several letters written to the state in 2013 for setting up of additional special Lokayukta courts in Tumakuru, Kolar and Bengaluru, all them have are still in the communication stage. The judge made the observation while referring that he had recently read in the newspaper stating law minister talking about setting up of 205 more additional courts in the state.

First solve the problems here and then hold investors meet, observed Justice A N Venugopala Gowda, while adding that Supreme Court has time and again held that it is the state government's prime duty to provide basic infrastructure to the court for early disposal of cases. The state should first solve the problems here and then scout for investments.