Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, who had tendered his resignation following ‘indifferent attitude’ of the BJP government on corruption, today met Governor H. R. Bhardwaj and formally withdrew his resignation.
“I have formally withdrawn my resignation”, Justice Hegde told PTI in Bangalore on Wednesday.
Piqued by Karnataka government’s failure to accede to its demands, including taking action against corrupt officials, illegal mining and an attempted move to transfer a Lokayukta official, Justice Hegde submitted his resignation on June 23, in an abrupt development that brought severe embarrassment to the ruling BJP.
However, following pressure from various quarters to withdraw his resignation and a request from BJP leader L. K. Advani to reconsider the decision, Justice Hegde announced withdrawal of his resignation on July 3 after a meeting with national BJP President Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa.
The Lokayukta said, “The Governor had been reluctant to accept my resignation when I tendered and had asked me to reconsider it. I am sure he will be happy that I have decided to continue,” he said.
