Press Trust of India
Bangalore, Dec 7: Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj
today said Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda "is responding
well" to find a spotless judge for appointment of Lokayukta,
apparently putting to rest Governor-BJP Government spar over
the issue.
"The Chief Minister is responding well to appoint a
spotless judge as the new Lokayukta," he told reporters on the
sidelines of Armed Forces Flag Day organised at the Raj Bhavan
here.
Bhardwaj had last month rejected the recommendation for
appointing former Kerala High Court Chief Justice S R
Bannurmath as Lokayukta, alleging he was embroiled in a
controversy.
Justice Bannurmath is facing allegations of securing
allotment of a residential site in a judicial layout on a land
earmarked for civic amenities.
Bhardwaj, who has been having an uneasy relationship with
the BJP government ever since he occupied the gubernatorial
post, said he was waiting for the right person to assume
charge of the Lokayukta.
"I will not take even a minute to ratify the appointment
of a judge as Lokayukta if people of the state and the press
have faith in him," he added.
He, however, said he was in no hurry to address the issue
as he despised bothering the Chief Minister when the Assembly
session was underway.
The Lok Ayukta post has been lying vacant for the past
two months after Justice Shivraj Patil quit over a land
controversy with opinion divided between the government and
the Opposition on appointing Bannurmath.
Patil, a former Supreme Court judge who succeeded Santosh
Hegde in August, had quit over allotment of housing sites to
him and his wife in violation of rules.
No comments:
Post a Comment