How Lokayukta Bhaskar Rao is holding Karnataka to ransom
What do people in power do when their own blood is accused of committing crimes by misusing their office? World over, the norm for such people is to quit office and make way for a free and fair probe to ascertain whether their kin is involved in the alleged crime. But for the Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, a retired chief justice of the High Court of Karnataka, that does not seem to be the norm.
Though an FIR has been registered against his son for allegedly running an extortion racket from within the premises of the Lokayukta, the learned judge is of the view that he should quit only if his son is found guilty!
For the last one month, Karnataka has been witnessing one of the premier battles the civil society has ever engaged with the Lokayukta. The anti-corruption ombudsman is supposed to be the saviour of the public by protecting ordinary people from falling prey to the designs of corrupt officers. But alas! Here the Lokayukta and his son are facing serious corruption charges – having been accused of extorting crores of rupees from corrupt officers in return for “protection” – in a classic case of fence eating the crop. No amount of pressure from the civil society, advocates’ fraternity and activists seem to be bothering the Lokayukta. Putting up a defiant face, Justice Rao has a one-line prepared answer for everything – “I will quit only if my son is found guilty.”
Former judge of the Supreme Court and one of the best Lokayuktas the country has ever seen, Justice Santosh Hegde, summed up the situation very well, “If his son is found guilty, he (Justice Bhaskar Rao) has to straight walk into a jail cell for protecting his kin. The question of him quitting if his son is found guilty does not arise at all.”
The hard stand taken by Justice Rao has not only shocked everyone but has become the most-debated topic on TV channels and the media. The flow of events in the last 30 days gives anybody an impression that Justice Rao is bent on protecting himself and his son at any cost.
When initial reports came out that an extortion racket is being run by a section of the Lokayukta police wing officials, he ignored it. Then, came another report that the extortion racket was being run from the Lokayukta’s official residence, he ignored it while civil society demanded an explanation. With pressure mounting, Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash B Adiwas forced to act to save the honour of the institution. He ordered an inquiry into the incident.
But when Adiwas out of Bengaluru on an official assignment, Justice Rao ordered a fresh inquiry by an incompetent City Crime Branch (CCB) overruling that of the Upa Lokayukta. Worse, the CCB refused to take up the probe and Justice Rao was humiliated. He withdrew the order and urged the government to set up an independent investigation team and the same was accepted. Simultaneously, he once again nullified the order issued by the Upa Lokayukta. At the same time, Justice Rao’s son approached the High Court of Karnataka and managed to obtain a stay against an investigation requested by his father! Nothing can be more evident than this that both father and son have a lot at stake.
Seeing the drama unfold in the ugliest manner, the political leaders, belatedly jumped into the scene. Now, the members of the legislature have sought permission from the presiding officers to move an impeachment motion against Justice Rao to unseat him from the post of the Lokayukta.
Nothing can be more insulting for a retired chief justice than this. Well, it is high time that Justice Rao puts down his papers and paves the way for an independent investigation. For, people of Karnataka have already lost faith in the Lokayukta.