Thaindian News

Bangalore, Aug 3 (IANS) It was an eventful Wednesday for Karnataka. It got a chief minister-designate, a new ombudsman took office and an outgoing chief minister stared at trial for corruption.

Lok Sabha member D.V. Sadananda Gowda beat Rural Development Minister Jagdish Shettar narrowly for the chief minister’s post at a stormy meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislature wing.

Shivaraj Virupanna Patil took oath as new Lokayukta at a simple function at Raj Bhavan.

Governor H.R. Bhardwaj permitted the launch of criminal proceedings against B.S. Yeddyurappa, the BJP’s first chief minister in the state, over graft.

Gowda, Yeddyurappa and Patil will all be busy in the next few weeks dealing with the fallout of the voluminous illegal mining report submitted by N. Santosh Hegde July 27.

Hegde’s five-year term as Lokayukta ended Tuesday.

Yeddyurappa has already moved the high court to quash Hegde’s recommendation in the illegal mining report. He has also petitioned the Lokayukta to reconsider the recommendation to try him for graft.

Patil, Hegde’s successor, will now consider Yeddyurappa’s petition as well as act on Bhardwaj’s directive to investigate the charges against the outgoing chief minister and submit a report to him (Bhardwaj).

Patil will also have to respond to high court if it issues notice to the Lokayukta for its stand on Yeddyurappa’s petition to nullify Hegde’s recommendation.

Gowda’s government has three months to accept or reject Hegde’s report that seeks action against mining barons the Reddy brothers, their associate B. Sriramulu and Yeddyurappa loyalist V. Somanna, and over 700 officials.

All four were in the Yeddyurappa cabinet - G. Janardhana Reddy was tourism minister, G. Karunakara, revenue, Sriramlu, health, and Somanna, housing.

According to the Lokayukta Act, the government can accept or reject, in part or in full, its report within three months. If the report is not rejected in three months, it is taken as accepted.