Enough is enough: Lok Ayukta

BANGALORE: Traps, raids, inquiries and reports. Just when everyone thought that the Lok Ayukta's job ends with submitting reports to the government recommending action against accused officials, Justice N. Venkatachala has other plans. Fed up with the government's inaction, the Lok Ayukta wants to take upon himself the task of bringing the guilty to book.More so, in the light of Karnataka being ranked as the fourth most corrupt state by Transparency International.
Utilising the powers under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Justice Venkatachala is preparing ground to initiate criminal proceedings against the accused. "The government is not interested in initiating action... the reports that I have sent are gathering dust. I will take up the cases myself within the framework of law. I have been telling the government that unless stringent action is initiated against the accused officials, corruption will not be contained,"the Lok Ayukta told The Times of India.
The first case to be taken up will be the infamous City Municipal Council (CMC) scandal unearthed by him in 2003. "I have sent a comprehensive report about the irregularities to the government in 2003... I have reminded the government several times, but there is no response. I will moot criminal proceedings against the officials and the procedure will be finalised within a week,"Justice Venkatachala said.
During the raids at CMC and TMC offices and after scrutiny of records, it was found that nearly 22 officials had embezzled funds worth Rs 231 crore by creating bogus documents.
"The accused officials are involved in siphoning off nearly Rs 231 crore from Bangalore urban district treasury in the names of CMCs. Hence, an appropriate order has to be made immediately under the Lok Ayukta Act to free the administration from government servants who are prima facie guilty of criminal offences," the Lok Ayukta had stated in his report sent on November 21, 2003.
The officials include three district registrars, senior officials of treasuries, 10 former CMC commissioners of the rank of KAS and KMAS and clerical level staff. The three registrars have been found guilty of offences under criminal breach of trust, falsification of accounts, cheating and causing loss to the government treasury.