The State has promised to clear the files pending before it for the prosecution of government officials charged with corruption and owning wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income, according to Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Mr. Rao said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had promised to look into this matter and clear the pending proposals made by the Lokayukta seeking the government’s permission to prosecute the officials. However, Mr. Rao refused to comment on the status of a report submitted by his predecessor on the illegal mining of iron ore and the officials involved. This matter is currently being investigated by the CBI at the Supreme Court’s direction.
Mr. Rao said more courts should be set up for early disposal of cases filed by the Lokayukta. “When I took charge, complaints that were filed in 1993 were pending. The workload has been reduced considerably, and we have cleared all the complaints filed till 2005,” Mr. Rao said.
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“The Lokayukta’s aim now is to resolve complaints at the earliest. In the two-day public hearing held from Thursday, 102 complaints were resolved, 80 of which were pending. The remaining were fresh complaints filed during the hearing,” Mr. Rao said. A total of 41 complaints were filed during the hearing.
Some of the officials suspended following raids by the Lokayukta police had been posted in the same place and position, Mr. Rao said. This matter was taken up with the government, and Chief Secretary Ranganath had promised that the State would look into the matter and ensure that this was not repeated.
Asked if the Lokayukta needed further empowerment to increase efficiency, Mr. Rao replied in the negative.
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Lack of knowledge
Mr. Rao said he was happy with the public response to the two-day hearing. Considering the nature of the complaints filed, it is evident that something is wrong with the lower levels of the administration, possibly a lack of knowledge about its functioning, he felt.