- Ex-Lok Ayukta Justice Santosh Hegde’s denounced the Karnataka Lok Ayukta Bill on the grounds that it was a fraud and an attempt at debilitating the existing powers of the Lok Ayukta.
- The Bill calls for the setting up of an institution with 9-members, which in reality is a post retirement scheme for bureaucrats.
- It requires that the initiation of investigation of Chief Minister be endorsed by 6 of the members, while the earlier law allowed suo motu investigations.
- It calls for the creation of State Vigilance Commission that will essentially curb the powers of the Lok Ayukta depriving it of an important function of grievance redressal.
- Big chunks of the existing Lok Ayukta that included taking up cases of bureaucratic lapses have also been removed.
- He urged for social boycott of corruption and said that hope lies with the youth of today.
- Read at: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/proposed-lokayukta-law-will-weaken-institution-says-hegde/article6021600.ece
Exams Perspective:
- Karnataka Lok Ayukta Bill
- Lokayukta in different states
- Vigilance Commission
- Anti-corruption bodies in India
