In a bid to ensure that he is out of the picture when report gets out, Santosh Hegde is allegedly planning to postpone the deadline to submit his report on the scam to July end
In a bid to ensure that he is out of the picture when report gets out, Santosh Hegde is allegedly planning to postpone the deadline to submit his report on the scam to July end
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As per the self imposed deadline, the Lokayukta had to submit the report on March 31 and it was postponed to May due to ongoing investigation by several agencies including CBI, Central Empowered Committee appointed by the Supreme Court, and the IT department. The deadline was extended to June and it is still unlikely that the Lokayukta will meet the deadline.
"I know there are charges against me and people say that I will not give the report in time. But, the report will be submitted towards the end of this month," said Hegde.
Still a preference
However, he admitted that he preferred not to be in the scene, when his report comes out. "It will be better if I move to the sidelines when the drama erupts after the report is made public. But, I will not wait till my retirement to submit the report," he added.
He informed that he was scrutinizing the reports given to him by various teams, including one led by U V Singh, chief conservator of forest, who heads Lake Development Authority. "The report will consist of around twenty chapters and so far I have seen three chapter and suggested corrections. It will take some time before we make it ready for the submission. But, let me assure you we will not miss the deadline this time," Hegde said.
This is the second report coming from the Lokayukta about illegal mining in the state. While the government is yet to act on his first report submitted in 2009, the second report is expected to be more explosive because it is being prepared in the backdrop of the politically sensational case of ore theft from Belekere port.
Looking back
Hegde had kicked up a controversy last month, by saying Sushma Swaraj, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, might have chosen to disown the Reddy brothers who are regarded as her political children, fearing her name would figure in Hegde's report. While his statement amounted to leakage of the report, he clarified that it was slip of the tongue and the tumult calmed down.
While the Lokayukta is apparently dilly-dallying, Congress leaders are accusing him of favouringu00a0 the CM. "Hegde has called L K Advani his father and he is also a father figure for Yeddyurappa. It is no wonder that the brothers are in the understanding and that the Lokayukta is helping the CM," said B K Hariprasad, general secretary of Congress.
He was referring the Lokayukta no filing FIR against Yeddyurappa in the land scam case, in the event of which he would have had to step down, and not arresting former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu after filing an FIR against him for KIADB irregularities. "I have chosen not to react against people like Hariprasad. There will be no end to it, if I go on responding to these persons," said Hegde.
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