Karnataka Govt clears sanction to prosecute former Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao
Bengaluru: In an unprecedented move to stem corruption at the highest level, the state government on Tuesday granted sanction to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to prosecute former Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao for allegedly abetting the multi-crore corruption racket in the Lokayukta, under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the FIR 56/2015.
It is learnt that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has approved the prosecution of Justice Rao under Sections 8,9 and 10 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 119, 120 r/w 36 among others of the Indian Penal Code. The file has been sent to Governor Vajubhai Vala for his sanction as he is the appointing authority, sources told this newspaper. If the governor also grants permission to the SIT, then Justice Rao will be the first judge in the country post-Independence to face trial in a court of law.
“The government has gone through the 500-page document, which was sent by the SIT on February 11 seeking permission under Section 197 of the CrPC to prosecute the former anti-corruption ombudsman and retired chief justice of Karnataka in the FIR 56/2015 and has sanctioned it. The file has been submitted to the governor," said an official source.
The FIR was registered by the Lokayukta police in July last year in the multi-crore extortion and corruption racket in the Lokayukta against former joint commissioner and public relations officer, Lokayukta, Syed Riyazathullah, Ashok Kumar, Srinivasa Gowda, Shankare Gowda, V. Bhaskar alias 420 Bhaskar and Justice Rao’s son Y. Ashwin in the extortion racket. Later, the case was transferred to the SIT.
The SIT has sought permission to prosecute the former Lokayukta under most of the sections of the PC Act and the IPC, under which the other accused have been booked in the case. Besides, the SIT has also sought permission to chargesheet Justice Rao under Sections 202 (intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform) and 217 (a public servant disobeying direction of law with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) of the IPC.
Governor rejects Justice Nayak’s name
l Has Governor, Vajubhai Vala rejected the candidature of Justice S.R. Nayak for the post of Karnataka Lokayukta? Political circles here are abuzz with reports that Mr Vala has rejected Justice Nayak’s candidature, citing the charges levelled against him. Several NGOs had petitioned the governor claiming that Justice Nayak’s wife had bought sites which were not declared in his assets and liability statement. This was described as gross impropriety by the NGOs.
