Hyderabad: Nearly 1,300 cases since the start of the year have piled up on the shelves of the Lokayukta due to the absence of a judge to allocate cases. The Lokayukta is the grievance cell for both the Telugu speaking states and receives a large volume of complaints. Since 2015, there were nearly 5000 reported complaints.
The formation of the Lokayukta as a watchdog over corruption in the State departments was to ensure that people’s grievances about bad administration could be voiced and investigated.
While the Lokayukta does not have powers extended to conduct investigative raids, it is able to direct all substantiated complainants to the Anti Corruption Bureau which has to pursue all directions from this court. Since its introduction, the Lokayukta has been successfully functioning in a number of states within the country.
A number of cases of corruption against public servants have been investigated and justice disposed allowing the Lokayukta to bring an impartial directional quality to solve grievances.
However, in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, ever since Justice B. Subhashan Reddy retired not a single direction has come out of Lokayukta as the body is headless. Complaints are being registered on a weekly basis and dates are being postponed. Several complaints remained undisputed for so long that the reported officials have either retired or moved to other positions.
A complainant, Ms. Kanika Durga, from Basheerbagh, said, “I had filed my complaint in March. However, I am still waiting for a response, I often return to the institution to check the status but I am told there is no one who can investigate the same and I am saddened as I took the initiative to speak out but no one is there to listen to me, leave alone help me.”
In response, Soma Reddy, a Lokayukta official said, “We are expecting to have a Judge by the end of the month. Complaints are still being taken and 1300 complaints have been registered this year. 90 percent of the cases are against MROs, MLAs and ministers. We are working on disposing the cases as soon as a Judge is assigned.”
The swearing in of a new Judge in the Lokayukta by the month end is sure to bring some respite for the people whose grievances have been shelved for far too long.
