Bangalore, Jul 26 (IANS): Former Supreme Court judge Shivaraj Virupanna Patil will be the new Karnataka Lokayukta (ombudsman), official sources said Tuesday.

He will take over from N. Santosh Hegde who retires Aug 2 after submitting an "explosive" report slamming Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa over largescale illegal mining in the state.

Governor H.R. Bhardwaj has approved the state government's recommendation to appoint Patil as the next Lokayukta, the sources said.

Patil, 71, retired from the apex court in 2005. Early this year he probed the procedures followed in allocation of telecom spectrum in 2001-09 following the 2G scandal. Patil submitted his report Jan 31.

Patil was also a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

He will assume office on Aug 3 for a term of five years.

Patil will occupy a hot seat as the police attached to Lokayukta are probing complaints of corruption and illegal land deals against Yeddyurappa, his two sons and son-in-law.

The complaints were filed by two Bangalore advocates Sirajin Bhasha and K.N. Balaraj in January after Bhardwaj gave them sanction to launch criminal proceedings against Yeddyurappa and his kin.

Yeddyurappa has petitioned the high court against the sanction. A two-judge bench of the high court is hearing the matter.