The ongoing Winter Session of the Karnataka Assembly on Monday accepted a motion seeking removal of controversial Karnataka lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao over an alleged extortion racket in the anti-graft ombudsman’s office involving his son.
Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa admitted the motion moved by leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar (BJP) and JD(S) leader YSV Datta.
Ruling the Congress has announced its “complete” support to the motion, which came up before the House nearly two weeks after the ball was set rolling for removal of Rao, with Opposition parties petitioning the Speaker and the legislative Council Chairman in this regard.
The motion was moved under the lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2015, (lA Bill No 31 of 2015) that empowers the two Houses of the Karnataka legislature to remove a lokayukta or Upalokayukta facing charges of corruption.
The Speaker announced in the lower House that the motion submitted by the Opposition parties had been accepted and he would initiate a debate on the mater.
Meanwhile, ruling Congress also supported the Opposition move to sack lokayukta following serious allegation of corruption against his son Y Ashwin, who was arrested along with six others for allegedly running an extortion racket threatening Government officials.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reiterated “The ruling Congress supported the motion. The ruling party extends full support to the motion and now it is left to you (the Speaker) to take the next course of action.”
Minister for law and Parliamentary Affairs TB Jayachandra said the ruling party would not be submitting a separate but similar motion as it was not allowed under the Parliamentary norms. But the ruling party supports it.
Jayachandra created a stir in the House seeking a review over the matter.
Speaker Thimappa, however, stated that under his purview he had already discussed the motion with top officials of Special Investigation Team, which is probing the corruption case in lokayukta office, as well as with the Advocate General. He had also examined the charge-sheets submitted in the court by the SIT. He had decided to accept the motion only after examining all these issues, he added.
Thimappa said he would have a discussion with legislative Council Chairman DH Shankaramurthy over preparing the ‘karadu’ (draft) on the motion and that would be sent to Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court for further action.
The alleged corruption scam involving the son of lokayukta Justice Rao had hit the headlines early this year that necessitated an unprecedented move to amend the lokayukta Act.
Karnataka had heralded the appointment of a lokayukta office, an anti-corruption watchdog, in the country during 1980s when Ramakrishna Hegde headed a Janata Party Government.
Meanwhile, sources said the Congress legislators also started a move for the removal of Upa-lokayukta Justice Subash B Adi over adverse ‘media reports. The move by the Congress legislators attracted severe criticism in the wake of the motion against the lokayukta.
Though, it was a evident that the party leaders had launched a signature campaign against Justice Adi during last one week and it gained steam in Vidhana Soudha. law Minister Jayachandra said that neither the State Government or the Congress party had extended support to such move
In an another development leader of the Opposition at the legislative Council, KS Eshwarappa claimed that he received a death threat from an unknown number on late night of November 22.
Raising the issue on the floor of the House, Eshwarappa said: “On the night of November 22, I received a death threat on phone. The caller, who called me from a supposedly VoIP number, spoke in a mix of Kannada and Urdu. They threatened me with dire consequences.”
Eshwarappa demanded a thorough inquiry into the matter. MlCs also demanded a detailed investigation into the matter.