Thaindian News

Bangalore, Nov 16 (IANS) The controversy over the Lokayukta (ombudsman) in Karnataka intensified Wednesday with former Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde hitting out at allegations that the institution of ombudsman is steeped in corruption.

Hegde, who retired Aug 2, ticked off former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa for claiming that Hegde had indicted him in illegal mining scam eyeing a top post at the national level.

“I cannot be bought. No politician, no businessman, no media can buy me,” an upset Hegde told reporters reacting to Yeddyurappa’s charges.

Yeddyurappa was forced out of office July 31 after Hegde recommended on July 27 his trial for corruption in the massive illegal mining scandal in the state.

Yeddyurappa, BJP’s first chief minister in Karnataka, had told reporters in Shimoga Nov 14 that Hegde was “power hungry” and had indicted him under political pressure.

“To secure a top position at the centre (national level), he had colluded with my political opponents to indict me in the mining scandal,” the 68-year-old BJP leader had said.

Rebutting the charge, Hegde told reporters in Bangalore that all political parties had levelled allegations against him and said he had suffered for five years when he was Lokayukta.

Hegde, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, also expressed surprise that K. Madhukar Shetty, a senior police official who had worked in the Lokayukta’s office for over two years was now saying that the institution is full of corrupt people.

Shetty, a 1999 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who was superintendent of police in the Lokayukta, told a Kannada daily in an interview from the United States, that he was relieved to leave the set up because of corruption in it.

Shetty is now on a sabbatical in the US. He went there in July this year, a month ahead of Hegde’s retirement. The Lokayukta head’s term is for five years.

“I am pained by Shetty’s statements. It is surprising,” Hegde said and hinted that the comments were because he did not support Shetty who had differences with his senior, R. K. Datta, an additional director general of police working in the Lokayukta.

Hegde’s rebuttal came on a day when Governor H.R. Bhardwaj blasted the government for not selecting a non-controversial person to be the new Lokayukta.

The D.V. Sadananda Gowda government has recommended that former chief justice of Kerala high court S.R. Bannurmath be appointed, though he is caught in a row over building his house in Bangalore on a civic amenity site meant for parks or buildings for community use.

“If the government sincerely searches from the Supreme Court website, it can get honest people to head the Lokayukta,” Bhardwaj, who has been having a running battle with the BJP government, told reporters on the margins of a function here.

Gowda has taken the stand that until Bhardwaj formally rejects Bannurmath’s name, his government will not recommend another name.

Apart from the corruption allegation and war of words over appointment of a new Lokaykta, the ruling BJP has also landed in a controversy over its state chief K.S. Eshwarappa wondering whether the Lokayukta institution should be there at all.

“I will not allow winding up of the Lokayukta,” Bhardwaj asserted.

Eshwarappa called for a re-look at the usefulness of Lokayukta following Shetty’s claims.

Sadananda Gowda has already ruled out winding up the Lokayukta. Eshwarappa has also said that he only suggested a re-look and has not demanded winding up of the institution.

The Lokayukta has been headless since Sep 19 when Shivaraj Patil quit following a row over acquiring two house plots from two housing cooperative societies in Bangalore.

Patil, a former Supreme Court judge, had taken over from Hegde Aug 3.

Only a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a retired chief justice of a high court can be appointed as Lokayukta.