Daijiworld Media Network-Bengaluru (RJP)

Bengaluru, Jan 27: Governor Vajubhai Vala approved the name of Justice P Vishwanath Shetty for the post of Lokayukta on Thursday, January 26.

The post of Lokayukta was vacant since December 2015 after Justice Y Bhaskar Rao resigned over charges of corruption and extortion at his office.

Raj Bhavan is yet to announce the date for the swearing-in of new Lokayukta.

The governor had recently directed chief minister Siddaramaiah to reconsider Shetty’s name after he received a complaint from an NGO alleging that he had obtained a plot at Judicial Layout in Bengaluru based on a false affidavit. The NGO had also submitted some documents to Raj Bhavan with the claim that Shetty and his family bought three residential plots and seven acres of agricultural land in violation of rules.

The governor subsequently sought a clarification from Siddaramaiah and directed the government to make recommendations only after consultation and proper verification.

Siddaramaiah in his reply to the governor said that many High Court judges had been allotted sites in the past and no court had held the grant of the site or the purchase of land illegal.

Earlier, Justice Vishwanath Shetty was chosen after consultations with a high-level committee comprising chief justice S K Mukherjee, presiding officers of the two Houses of the legislature, and leaders of the opposition. Shetty’s name was endorsed by all panel members without any objection.

Before that the governor had refused to appoint Justice S R Nayak as Lokayukta after the government recommended his name. Nayak’s name was rejected on the grounds that he had obtained a site by submitting a false affidavit.