Former Karnataka Lokayukta to be probed for intentional omission of information in extortion racket

Bengaluru, Feb 26: The government of Karnataka is yet to give its consent to prosecute former Lokayukta, Justice Bhaskar Rao.

Last week the Special Investigating Team had sought sanction to prosecute Justice Rao on the charge that he had not informed the law enforcement agencies about his son who was alleged to be involved in an extortion racket. [Sanction to prosecute former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Rao sought]

The SIT which has already filed a 500 page report is awaiting the nod of the state government. The SIT states that it proposes to charge him under Sections 202 and 217 of the Indian Penal Code which deals with intentional omission of information and also failing to inform the law enforcement agency in a bid to save a person from punishment.

Since he is a former judge of a high court and also lokayukta, the mandate is that sanction ought to be sought before he can be prosecuted. The state government will have to first approve it following which the sanction order would need to be signed by the governor.

A law department official in Karnataka informed that the process is underway and it is being discussed.

The case of the SIT is that Justice Rao was allegedly in the know of the offence. he did not report the same and also failed to act on a complaint that alleged his son Ashwin Rao had tried to extort money from a state executive engineer.

According to the SIT report, Ashwin and his accomplices had used the main hall of the Lokayukta's official residence. The SIT says it wants to question Justice Rao if he was in the know of this and also why he had not reported the same.

OneIndia News