Bengaluru: Is this the final nail in the coffin of the Lokayukta, the anti-corruption body, which has been lying headless for several months now?
Taking shelter under a Supreme Court verdict and and recent high court rulings, the Karnataka government has created an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to probe cases filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The ACB will function under the home ministry. Till date, the ACB’s job was being handled by the Lokayukta police wing. The government’s move is perceived as an attempt to destroy the Lokayukta institution systematically.
In its order, the government said that in the Rangaswamaiah case, the Supreme Court has held that the Lokayukta police is independent and does not come under the Ayukta.
Last month, the high court directed the state government to create vigilance wings in every department. The government said that on the lines of the Central Vigilance Commission, it has constituted vigilance cells in all departments, besides the ACB, leaving the Lokayukta with pretty little to do.
According to the government, “Since the Lokayukta police is not under the direct administrative and financial control of a supervisory body (Lokayukta), its accountability mechanism becomes weak.” So, the ACB was created to carry out its functions, the order said.
