Bangalore:
Karnataka's Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has never minced his words in cases of corruption involving even the mightiest of ministers. He resigned in July and withdrew only after a promise from senior BJP leader LK Advani that he would be given a freehand. But today, he is disappointed that the promise has been broken.
"In retrospect, I made a mistake by taking back my resignation. I think I would not have been in the dilemma that I am in today. But it's too late, I can't go on resigning and coming back," he told NDTV.
The Lokayukta also countered the charge that he had a vendetta against Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa.
"There is absolutely no malice entertained by me and out of the 14 cases, we are holding a preliminary inquiry in six cases and in one, we have issued notice to the Chief Minister because we found a prima facie case," Justice Hegde said.
The latest confrontation between Justice Hegde and the Yeddyurappa government has been over a Commission of Inquiry being freshly set up to handle cases of land scams. These are the cases that almost brought Yeddyurappa's government down.
Setting up this commission without his consent, Justice Hegde says, is an insult to the Lokayukta's office.
Justice Hegde, a crusader against corruption, had resigned in July accusing the BJP government of being indifferent towards corruption. He, however, withdrew his resignation later - thanks to the request of the BJP's LK Advani, a man he describes as a father figure.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, Karnataka's Governor, the Congress, the JD(S), advocates and members of the public had appealed to Hegde after he had resigned in July to change his mind but the breakthrough came only when Advani intervened.
Hegde had sent in his resignation saying he simply could not function as an anti-corruption authority without the necessary powers.
And so the government finally listened to the Lokayukta's demands.
He can now take up cases without waiting for a complaint. But there is an all-important rider. The Chief Minister, other ministers, MPs and MLAs have been left out of the purview of these powers.
Justice Hegde, known for his integrity, expressed disappointment at the range of powers proposed by the state government. He is not satisfied that certain sections are being left out of his purview.
Hegde took on corrupt officers, conducted raids and booked a ruling party BJP MLA for taking bribes. But those his team raided, were often reinstated in the same post from which they were suspended without his being consulted. Sometimes they were even rewarded.
He even took on the powerful Bellary mining lobby, stating in his report last year that crores of rupees were siphoned away from the state's exchequer through illegal mining.
"In retrospect, I made a mistake by taking back my resignation. I think I would not have been in the dilemma that I am in today. But it's too late, I can't go on resigning and coming back," he told NDTV.
The Lokayukta also countered the charge that he had a vendetta against Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa.
"There is absolutely no malice entertained by me and out of the 14 cases, we are holding a preliminary inquiry in six cases and in one, we have issued notice to the Chief Minister because we found a prima facie case," Justice Hegde said.
The latest confrontation between Justice Hegde and the Yeddyurappa government has been over a Commission of Inquiry being freshly set up to handle cases of land scams. These are the cases that almost brought Yeddyurappa's government down.
Setting up this commission without his consent, Justice Hegde says, is an insult to the Lokayukta's office.
Justice Hegde, a crusader against corruption, had resigned in July accusing the BJP government of being indifferent towards corruption. He, however, withdrew his resignation later - thanks to the request of the BJP's LK Advani, a man he describes as a father figure.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, Karnataka's Governor, the Congress, the JD(S), advocates and members of the public had appealed to Hegde after he had resigned in July to change his mind but the breakthrough came only when Advani intervened.
Hegde had sent in his resignation saying he simply could not function as an anti-corruption authority without the necessary powers.
And so the government finally listened to the Lokayukta's demands.
He can now take up cases without waiting for a complaint. But there is an all-important rider. The Chief Minister, other ministers, MPs and MLAs have been left out of the purview of these powers.
Justice Hegde, known for his integrity, expressed disappointment at the range of powers proposed by the state government. He is not satisfied that certain sections are being left out of his purview.
Hegde took on corrupt officers, conducted raids and booked a ruling party BJP MLA for taking bribes. But those his team raided, were often reinstated in the same post from which they were suspended without his being consulted. Sometimes they were even rewarded.
He even took on the powerful Bellary mining lobby, stating in his report last year that crores of rupees were siphoned away from the state's exchequer through illegal mining.
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