The Hindu : Front Page : Action yet to be initiated against police officials

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Monday, Nov 26, 2007
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Action yet to be initiated against police officials

S. Rajendran and Raghava M.

Ordinance seeking suo motu powers to the Lokayukta awaiting Governor’s assent

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Lokayukta is in a piquant situation with Governor Rameshwar Thakur yet to give his assent to an Ordinance which has sought to grant suo motu powers to the Lokayukta to prosecute the senior officials held on the charge of corruption.

It is more than two months after the then Government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy sent across the Ordinance to the Governor seeking immediate promulgation since the legislature was not in session at that time. The Raj Bhavan has neither returned the Ordinance nor promulgated it. Even as the Ordinance is pending, the authorities have gone a step further in browbeating the Lokayukta by refraining from suspending the officials raided in the recent past. While the Motor Vehicles Department, acting on a letter by the Lokayukta on the raids on four inspectors, immediately placed them under suspension, the Home Department has refrained from taking any action reportedly taking cover under service rules.

In the recent instance, seven police officials “all serving in what have been described as lucrative positions in Bangalore” were among the 13 officials who were found possessing disproportionate assets. Despite a letter by the Lokayukta to the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police suggesting that they should be suspended with immediate effect no action has been taken.

Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde told The Hindu that an order of the Supreme Court (in 1994) had come in the way of the Lokayukta directly suspending the officials concerned. This had resulted in officials held by the Lokayukta police of amassing wealth continuing to serve in the same posts.

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