Lokayukta Justice Shivaraj V Patil’s premature exit has thrown up a rather cynical question: do we really need the ombudsman? If a wolf comes in to herd sheep, better avoid the shepherd.
It’s not a question of Patil availing a site from a fraudulent house building society or the illegalities behind it. Nor his resignation can bail him out of his misconduct. The question is how you can bring in a fool-proof system when you are handing over the role of a watchdog to an individual.
When he was the Lokayukta, Santhosh Hegde insisted on suo-motto powers to prosecute anybody including chief minister, while the others were demanding absolute powers for the Lokayukta. We need to thank Shivraj Patil for providing us with a case study for the perils of such powers bestowed on one individual. He had clarified he didn’t want absolute power as the Lokayukta, but his gesture only added to the suspicion that he had come in to safeguard the interest of the ruling party.
His very appointment was ominous with the chief minister Yeddyurappa neck deep into corruption choosing his fellow Lingayat to be the Lokayukta, while the incumbent Santhosh Hegde engineered his fall through his tricky report on illegal mining just before his retirement. So dark was the caste shadow cast on the appointment of Patil that the government brought in a Brahmin R Gururajan as the second Upa-Lokayukta because S B Majjigi, Upa-Loakyukta in place, was a Lingayat and a balance act was called for.
The rot was in the root of the appointment and it took its toll on Patil even before he could complete 47 days in the office, and Vyalaikval House Building Society scam just came his way as an escape route. Smart guy he is, Patil jumped at the opportunity and resigned. Otherwise, his position was awkward; a watchdog assigned to guard the thief and bite the house owner.
Lokayuka Act is a state act and the chief minister is the authority to appoint the ombudsman. Opinion of the chief justice of the High Court and leaders of the legislative houses are just notional with dominant presence of the leader of the ruling party. Did you not hear Chief Justitice Jagadish Singh Kehar cribbing over ignoring him in Patil’s appointment? He said, “Patil’s appointment was government’s unilateral decision. I was not heard.” Who cares?
H D Kumaraswamy, when he was the chief minister, appointed Santhosh Hegde as the Lokayukta and was naturally possessive of him. Hegde broke his heart by calling L K Advani a father figure and took back resignation he had tendered in rage at his behest. Kumaraswamy was further shattered when his name was figured in the report on illegal mining. He didn’t expect it for two reasons; first, he had furnished incriminating documents against BJP and Congress that were vital for the report and second, he thought the report was only meant for cornering Yeddyurappa.
The possessiveness gave rise to a slang match between him and Hegde in public. Kumaraswamy questioned Hegde’s night life and Hegde asked how many wives Kumaraswamy had.
Hegde’s predecessor N Venkatachala was even more dramatic. He used to take camera crew of TV channels with him while trapping corrupt officials. His dialogues for the camera had made reigning silver screen stars dimmer. He was a rock star and people chose him the man on the year, year after year till his retirement. And what did he do at the end? He joined the BJP soon after his retirement, begging for a party ticket to contest assembly polls. The party didn’t find him worth and denied the ticket.
Has the team Anna advocating absolute powers for the Lokpal and Lokayukta for all the states taken note of Karnataka’s example? Hegde is the super star of the team and it should know it from him well.
Anna had no hesitation in seeking Patil’s resignation after he was caught in site scam, but can he approve any one of them in the queue to fill the vacancy? The names of Ravindran, N K Sodi, and S R Bannurmatt are doing rounds. Better not talk about their background now.
Or why doesn’t somebody advise Anna to support Narendra Modi? Modi knows it better and that is why he didn’t bother to appoint any Lokayukta for seven years. Leave Anna alone, an old-fashioned Gandhian. We can bet on the new chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda. He can follow the footstep of Modi; after all, he is the one wants to adopt Modi formula for Karnataka.
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