From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 10: Yet another coastal Kannadiga, Justice P Vishwanth Shetty, is likely to be the new Lokayukta of Karnataka.
He will be the second coastal Kannadiga after Justice Santosh Hegde to head the anti-corruption body in the State.
Justice Vishwanath Shetty
Retired Karnataka High Court Judge, Justice P Vishwanath Shetty's name was finalised in the high-level committee meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Monday to head the anti-corruption agency.
Apart from the Chief Minister, who is the chairman of the high-level committee comprising of Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court S K Mukherjee, Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad, Legislative Council Chairman D H Shankaramurthy, Leaders of the Opposition in the two Houses of the legislature Jagadish Shettar and K S Eshwarappaare the other members. JD(S) floor leader in the Assembly H D Kumaraswamy did not attend the meeting.
The names of Justice P Vishwanath Shetty, Justice N K Patil and Justice Ananda Byra Reddy were discussed for the post.
Karnataka High Court Chief Justice is understood have conveyed his consent for all the three short-listed names.
"One of the three names would be recommended to Governor Vajubhai Vala for appointment as Lokayukta," Siddaramaiah said after the meeting.
However, the State Government is said to have recommended the name of Justice Vishwanath Shetty's name for the post, which has remained headless since the ignominious exit of former Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao in December 2015.
Justice Vishwanath Shetty was instrumental in setting up the Karnataka Judicial Academy.