Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Mar 16: Former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde has said that the state government's move to create Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) smacks of ploy to make the Lokayukta ineffective. He said that he had opposed the very concept of ACB when he was the Lokayukta, and noted that the government has withdrawn the powers of Lokayukta after a gap of 32 years.
Karnataka home minister, Dr G Paramshwar, had told reporters here on Tuesday March 15 that the state has formed the ACB as per the directions of Supreme Court, adding that ACB will function like Central Bureau of Investigation. He said that ACB and Lokayukta are ruled by different laws and that there is no question of weakening Lokayukta institution with the creation of ACB.
Justice Hegde, however, questioned the move of the state government in the absence of any serious lapses in the functioning of the Lokayukta, noting that barring Justice Bhaskar Rao case, nothing important had happened to trigger the creation of ACB. Noting that Lokayukta wielded enormous powers and sent many IAS officers, MLCAs and ministers to jail for corruption, he lamented the government's move, which he said, will make Lokayukta institution irrelevant.
Alleging that the government wants to use ACB by making it work at its wishes and fancies, he said he would support agitation of people against such a step.
Retired judge, Justice Shivraj Patil, pointed out that the Supreme Court has never asked the states to take back powers of the Lokayukta police to investigate cases falling under Prevention of Corruption Act and hand it over to another institution. He felt that this is an anti-people move. He added that the government should have gathered popular opinion before taking such a drastic step.
ACBs are manned by senior IPS officers at the discretion of the chief minister and law minister. The IPS officers are obliged to provide all details of cases to the CM and law minister. Under the current system, ministers did not have a say in Lokayukta functioning, but ACB, which directly works under the government, can easily be manipulated, it is being analyzed.
State CM, Siddaramaiah, said that the move to set up ACB was done as per the court order and that the government does not aim at weakening the Lokayukta. Former minister, Suresh Kumar, said that the creation of ACB is like hammering in the final in the Lokayukta coffin. He said BJP will organize movement against this step.