Former Karnataka Lokayukta on mining scam

"If no one appeals the Karnataka High Court judgment, the case will go uninvestigated, says former Karnataka Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde."

The Hindu : Opinion / Interview : 'I was given a sweeping mandate to inquire into all aspects of mining illegalities':  It is too early to say whether the 2011 report by former Karnataka Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde on illegal mining in Karnataka will have the huge impact on the way the industry operates in the State — and elsewhere in the country — the 26,000 page document is possibly the most exhaustive, carefully-researched investigation into corruption and its linkages with industry and politics that has been compiled in India.

A recent judgment by a division bench of the Karnataka High Court on a petition by former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa challenging the First Information Report filed against him by the Lokayukta police has been widely viewed as a setback to the legal fight against corruption.

Governor's double standards...

The governor of Karnataka, HR Bharadwaj, outrightly rejected Justice Bannurmath as Lokayukta chief on the grounds of lack of impeccable integrity.

However he has accepted Justice Chandrashekariah for the post of Upa-Lokayukta though his integrity has been questioned by many...

Why these double standards , asks Hemanth Kumar from DNA

Governing Our Governors

An office meant to ensure the smooth functioning of our federal structure has been subverted


Governing Our Governors

-The Times of India, January 21, 2012

The office of the governor has been "subverted," claims Minhaz Merchant, and provides a historical account of the relationship between the office of the governor and the president of India, along with the intricacies shared between the state and central governments. Furthermore, he emphasizes the need for a governor to focus most importantly on being a "guardian of public interest" rather than "a cynical political check on opposition-ruled state assemblies."

Allow Neutrality

Gujarat government should not play politics with Lokayukta 


Allow Neutrality

-The Times of India, January 20, 2012

The Modi government has challenged High Court's verdict on the issue of the appointment of Justice R A Mehta as Gujarat Lokayukta by appealing in the Supreme Court. The BJP, according to the editor, is displaying different standards - one at the center and another at the state. 

'Constitutional Lokpal would have been difficult to repeal'

Q&A


with Justice V N Khare, former chief justice of India, on the constitutional dimensions of the anti-corruption legislation

Interview - Q&A

-The Times of India, December 30, 2011