Relenting to pressure and criticism from various quarters of the civil society, Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao on Sunday wrote to the State Government requesting them to appoint “any independent agency to conduct a free and fair probe into the allegations of bribery” in the Lokayukta.
In an exclusive chat with The Hindu , Mr. Bhaskar Rao said that there was no need for him to resign from his position as Lokayukta at this juncture and said he would do so the minute allegations against him and his family were proved.
This comes a day after the Joint Commissioner (Crime), M. Chandrasekhar, whom Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao had entrusted the probe with, wrote back asking to reconsider the decision citing conflict of interest.
Upalokayukta Subhash B. Adi also dissented against the Lokayukta’s decision to hand over the probe to Central Crime Branch (CCB) and demanded that Lokayukta Bhaskar Rao write to the Government seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
However, Mr. Bhaskar Rao’s letter to the Government does not specifically recommend a CBI probe, which he defended saying it was not in his part to suggest what the Government should do and hence had only recommended a probe by “any independent agency”.
