Why were the 700 police personnel attached to the Karnataka Lokayukta police kept jobless for the past two weeks even as the newly set up Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is yet to be fully functional?
The Karnataka High Court posed this question when Additional Advocate-General A.S. Ponnanna submitted a memo informing the court about the ad hoc arrangements made by the government to deal with corruption cases till the ACB is fully functional.
“For the last two weeks, around 700 Lokayukta police have been jobless, and this is not in the public interest. Why was ACB created in a hurry without a well-devised plan if at all it was a measure to strengthen the anti-corruption mechanism in the State?” the court observed.
Justice A.N. Venugpala Gowda made these observations during the hearing of a petition through which the court has been monitoring the progress made in the investigation of corruption cases booked by the Lokayukta police and the trial of corruption cases, and issued directions for strengthening the Lokayukta police wing.
Making it clear that the court, in these proceedings, is not examining the legality of setting up the ACB as such a plea is not before it,
Justice Gowda said he is only concerned with the loss of time in registration of corruption cases, their probe, and nil progress in trial of corruption cases in the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ponnanna said the government has created seven zones of the ACB, and has authorised the existing deputy superintendents of police in all the districts to receive complaints of corruption till the ACB’s offices are set up in all the districts.
The AAG said the ACB will be made completely functional in three weeks.
However, the court observed that the creation of the ACB, without a well-devised plan, was against the Supreme Court’s direction to all the States to have “zero tolerance to corruption” as the transition period allows corrupt public servants to go scot-free.
The court adjourned further hearing to April 18 while indicating that it could monitor the functioning of the ACB to ensure timely progress in corruption cases.
The court also disposed of an application filed by Janadhikara Sangharsha Parishat, which had sought clarification on the impact of the earlier orders to Lokayukta police in connection with setting up of the ACB, stating that it is open to the applicant or others to question the legality of ACB in an appropriate forum.
Creation of the ACB, without a well-devised plan, is against the Supreme Court’s direction to States to have ‘zero tolerance to corruption’Karnataka High Court
