SIT toothless, government protecting Ayukta: Former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde
BENGALURU: Former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde came down heavily on the state government for not referring the alleged corruption in the Lokayukta institution to the CBI. He said that the SIT constituted to probe the case has no powers to register FIR.
Addressing a press conference convened by Anti Land-Grabbing Action Committee, Justice Hegde said the government has referred so many cases to the CBI. “When there is a demand from across the state to hand over the Lokayukta corruption case, the government is not doing it. It is shielding Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao by forming an SIT, which has no power to register case nor the power to arrest anyone,” Justice Hegde said.
He also lambasted Justice Rao for his obstinate attitude. “When people across the state are demanding his resignation, he is saying ‘I have not taken money from anyone’. This is ridiculous. When his son is the kingpin of the scam, how can he claim that he has no connection with the corruption in the agency. If he has some dignity, he should step down.”
The convener of the committee, A.T. Ramaswamy, said the government’s move related to the case made people suspect whether it was keen to carry out a fair probe into the matter.
SIT collects case files from Lokayukta police
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the in-house corruption in the Lokayukta has received all the files and documents related to the case from the Lokayukta police wing of Friday.
The Lokayukta officials had kept the files ready by afternoon. In the evening, SIT official, DCP Labhu Ram, went to the Lokayukta officer and received all the files. “He met Lokayukta SP Sonia Narang, who was handling the case, and collected all the files from her. They also discussed about the case.
The files were handed over to Labhu Ram. Everything related to the case, starting from the letter Ms. Narang wrote to the Lokayukta Registrar to the FIR registered against Ashwin Rao, has been given to the SIT,” a police source in the Lokayukta said. Lokayukta SP Sonia Narang also confirmed the development.
