After 16 months Karnataka Lokayukta appointed
Bangalore Feb 14:After several months of speculation surrounding the appointment of Karnataka Lokayukta, Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, on Thursday, took over. The former chief justice of the Karnataka High Court was sworn in on Thursday by Governor HR Bharadwaj.
After the completion of the term of Justice Santosh Hegde in August 2011, there has been no stable head. Although Shivaraj Patil was appointed as Lokayukta, he had a short stint and had to resign owing to 'possession of an illegal government site.'
Even
Rao's
appointment
has
been
embroiled
in
controversy
with
the
Advocates
Association
of
Bangalore
(AAB)
opposing
the
appointment.
Allegations
by
the
AAB
against
Rao
include
irregularities
during
his
term
as
chief
justice
between
March
1999
and
June
2000
and
not
knowing
Kannada.
The post had been vacant for the last 16 months which has resulted in the piling up of several cases. Media reports suggest that in the Lokayukta, over '25,000 cases which are at different stages of disposal and 4,500 cases which have been registered last year are still pending.'
With no signs of appointment of the Lokayukta The Karnataka High Court recently stated that 'there is a failure of constitutional framework in the State.'
However, Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar who had assured that the appointment would take place soon, went ahead even amidst opposition.