Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Jul 14: Lokayukta, which was a feared department in the governance of the country once upon a time, is like a cobra without teeth today.

Though it has exposed 13 people, who held high positions in the government and were involved in huge scams, the government has still not given the permission to go ahead with the investigations. This has given room to suspicions that the government itself is involved in these scams.

The Lokayukta police wing has lost its power after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) was established. Before establishing ACB, the officers of Lokayukta had unearthed scams worth crores of rupees in which high ranked IAS, engineers of various government departments and Class-1 officers were involved.

Though Lokayukta police have sought permission to go ahead with the investigation against 13 such corrupt high ranked officials having eight cases against them. However, the government has not responded to the petition of Lokayukta police at all.

It is accused that those who were involved in these scams have sought the intervention of influential people in the government itself and thereby prevented permission for further investigation in these cases.

At present 8690 complaints and 2212 cases at inquiry level are pending.

Justice B S Patil, Lokayukta said, “Lokayukta is efficiently managing all the cases that are referred to it. We will shoulder any responsibility given to us. The case pertaining to the formation of ACB is subjudice. So I will not react on that matter.”