Bengaluru: Unable to decide on provisions to remove Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao from his post, Speaker Mr Kagodu Thimmappa has decided to allow a discussion on the motion moved by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) for removal of the Ayukta, on Friday.
After a long meeting with Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief Mr Kamal Panth, which is probing internal corruption in the Lokayukta, Mr Kagodu Thimmappa convened an all-party and experts meeting to elicit their opinion.
Coming out of the meeting, he said, “I will seek members’ opinion and decide whether to admit it (motion) or not. If it is admitted, it will be referred to the Chief Justice of the High Court for further investigation and the Lokayukta will be suspended.”
Though the petition was moved by the Opposition parties on Tuesday, Mr Thimmappa did not allow a discussion because he wanted to examine the evidence and consult legal experts. Some members told the Speaker that he has absolute powers to address the issue since the Lokayukta institution was created by the Karnataka legislature.
Some others argued that the motion cannot be allowed by the Speaker or Council chairman on an inference that he has become incapable or is indulging in misconduct, without presenting proper evidence.
Petition signed
As many as 83 legislators in the assembly and 41 in the Council from both Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) have signed a petition requesting removal of Justice Rao, whose son is behind bars for running an extortion racket in the anti-corruption agency.
It has been more than 100 days since Justice Rao went on leave to his hometown Hyderabad after his son was arrested in connection with the extortion racket. The functioning of the Lokayukta office has almost come to a standstill, as more than 400 complaints are lying uncleared in the office.
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