The former Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde said here on Thursday that establishing an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), based on an executive order of the government, was nothing but a mockery of the law.
Speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of a seminar on ‘Gandhian thoughts and politics’ here, he said an eight-member committee comprising IAS and IPS officers would supervise the functioning of the bureau. In turn, the Chief Minister would supervise the functioning of the committee.
“Who indulges in corruption? Is it people or those who are in power? What kind of law is it?” he asked.
Mr. Hegde said the matter should have been discussed in the State legislature first. There should be a valid reason for re-establishing the ACB, which functioned for 10 years till 1984.
The Lokayutka had been set up because the ACB, headed by a senior police official and State Vigilance Commission — headed by a retired judge — was not functioning as expected. He alleged that the government was now attempting to close down the Lokayukta institution.
Earlier, participating in the seminar, the former Governor of West Bengal and Bihar Gopalkrishna Gandhi said the government should appoint someone with integrity as the Lokpal. He said Parliament would have to answer why the appointment of Lokpal was yet to become a reality.
“Someone like the late social reformer Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay could be appointed as Lokpal,” he said.
