Siddaramaiah puts lokayukta ball in Karnataka Speaker's court

As the crisis in Karnataka lokayukta reached a crescendo over alleged corruption charges, playing it safe the ruling Congress Government has made it clear that the Speaker will decide the fate of lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters on Sunday that it all depends on Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa’s decision over impeachment move by the major Opposition parties, BJP and JDS.

He said, “It is for Speaker Kogadu Thimmappa to decide on the Opposition move to remove lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, though we have set up a special team to probe the graft charges against some officials in the institution and a Rs1 crore bribe charge against his son Ashwin Rao.”As pressure is mounting on lokayukta Bhaskar Rao to quit, the ongoing monsoon session of the Assembly also witnessed ruckus over alleged corruption charges in the lokayukta office. About 60 Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-Secular legislators jointly submitted a memo to the Speaker on July 3 for Rao’s removal under the Karnataka lokayukta Act, 1984, which empowers the State legislature to do so.  

Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar of the BJP said corruption charges against the very institution that was set up to check graft was a body blow to democracy and weakens the crusade against such crimes.“As Rao failed to prevent some lokayukta officials and his son from being accused of taking bribes, he should step down till the probe is completed or the State Government should ask him to support our demand,” Shettar told reporters after a party meeting.

According to the Speaker’s office, the business advisory committee will decide on Monday on the admission, discussion and ruling upon the Opposition’s plea.The Opposition members had also submitted a similar memo on June 2 to legislative council Chairman DH Shankaramurthy for Rao’s ouster.

The State Government had set up the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 30, under Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Kamal Pant on the ombudsman’s request on June 29 after city crime branch Joint Commissioner M Chandra Shekar on June 27 declined to conduct the probe, as his father-in-law was facing a lokayukta inquiry in a corruption case.

The Karnataka High Court on July 1 also allowed the SIT to conduct the probe and stayed an internal enquiry ordered by Upa lokayukta Subhash B Adi against some unidentified officials in the anti-graft watchdog and Ashwin Rao on a report by lokayukta Superintendent of Police Sonia Narang in May.