Lokayukta officials feeling low

Lokayukta Justice V Shivraj Patil is perceived to be going slow in B S Yeddyurappa's criminal proceedings, especially since both hail from the Lingayat community. This has disgruntled other officials in the department

Lokayukta officials feeling low

All in the mind? Justice V Shivaraj Patil is seen as B S Yeddyurappa's
man as he became Lokayukta just before the BJ leader stepped down
as CM

The new Lokayukta Justice V Shivaraj Patil is seen as Yeddyurappa's man as he was brought to the position just before the BJP leader stepped down as the CM after he was indicted in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining earlier this month. Also, the duo are from the Lingayat community.

While Patil has clarified several times that he was not favouring Yeddyurappa and he was not under anyone's influence, officials in the Lokayukta are understood to be sulking over non-encouragement to go all-out against the former CM in the corruption cases.

"Things are moving slowly and that can only help the accused in the cases. It is highly de-motivating and there is nobody is to listen," said a police officer in the Lokayukta.u00a0 The main contention is that the system is procrastinating on the investigation on one of the cases, in which Yeddyurappa is the main accused.

Among five cases relating to land scam filed by lawyers Sirajin Basha and K N Balaraj, who had obtained the Governor's sanction to prosecute Yeddyurappa when he was the CM, the first case was referred to the Lokayukta police for investigation.

The Lokayukta special court had asked the police to conduct enquiry in the case under CrPC Section 202 and had gave it six weeks to submit the report.

Checkmate?
Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa had got a stay on the investigation in the High Court, but the stay was vacated. However, the enquiry is progressing at snail pace. According to sources, this was the reason why Pronab Mohanti, who was deputy inspector of police in the Lokayukta, opted himself out from the ombudsman and was sent back to the police department as joint commissioner (crime), on Monday.

Earlier, in the same case when Justice N Santhosh Hegde was the Lokayukta, R K Datta, who was additional director general of police in the Lokayukta, wanted to file FIR against Yeddyurappa, while Hegde wanted to go slow on it. Latter filing of FIR was dropped after the legal advisors opined against it as the FIR was not called for in the enquiry conducted under section 202.

Datta was transferred as additional director general of police (law and order), while another IPS officer Madhukar Shetty, superintendent of police in the Lokayukta, went on a study leave.

Just working
However, Mohanti said he was not unhappy to be transferred from the Lokayukta. "I have joined the police service to work anywhere and don't have complaint on my transfer," he said. Patil however, was unavailable for comment.

Meanwhile, the HC on Monday reserved the judgment on Yeddyurappa's petition seeking to quash the FIR filed against him in a case related to irregularities done in awarding civil works contract in an irrigation project. The case is pending in the Lokayukta special court and the hearing is posted for September 3.

Date with court
Yeddyurappa has been issued summons in the second case of the land scam and has to appear before the Lokayukta special court on August 27. In the third case, the court issued him summons on Monday, to attend court on August 20, while two other cases are yet to be taken up for hearing. The hearing on his anticipatory bail petition in the HC is posted for August 26.

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