THE Karnataka Lokayukta, Mr Santosh Hegde known for his crusade against corruption and the mining lobby, resigned from his post at a time when the first-ever BJP government in the south is gearing up to celebrate in a grand style its completion of two years in office on June 25.

Incidentally, this is for the first time in the country that a Lokayukta had resigned blaming the government for its “indifference to the Lokayukta institution”, lack of concern for probity in public life and also for its failure to prevent corruption.      
Role of the Lokayukta is to combat corruption, bring about transparency in the system and to make administrative machinery citizen-friendly, but the exit of Mr Hegde makes it explicit that he has failed to accomplish his task. During his four year tenure as Lokayukta, Mr Hegde has taken a number of steps which turned some powerful politicians his enemies. The proverbial last straw proved to be his report on illegal mining that he submitted to the government in December. Mr Hegde has promised to file one more report before demitting office on August 31.The Lokayukta was also upset with a minister recommending suspension of one of his ‘honest’ officers and a recent episode in which suspension of an official was revoked and he was reinstated in the same post. For Mr Hegde reinstating the suspended official was akin to “a slap on the face of the Lokayukta”.
This is indeed beyond comprehension how could a political party which swears by probity in public life and complete transparency in administration indulge in such practices and openly patronise corrupt officials. The outburst of Mr Hegde makes it clear that the state government does not intend to allow enough space and also provide required power to the Lokayukta. In fact Mr Hegde observed: “It is not enough if I catch people. I need powers to bring cases to logical conclusion.” By denying the necessary powers to the Lokayukta, the state government was in fact violating the basic principles of the Institution. The Institution of Lokayuktas and Lokpal has been established to inquire and investigate into complaints of corruption against public servants. It is primarily supposed to protect citizens’ rights against mal-administration, corruption, delay, inefficiency, non-transparency, abuse of position, improper conduct etc. If Lokayukta fails to perform its basic duty, humanising relations between the public and the administration, a step forward in establishing an ‘open government’, then the entire concept of having Lokayukta is defeated. The Karnataka BJP government ought not to have forgotten that he is the ultimate check on corruption.
The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr B S Yeddyurappa instead of succumbing to the pressure of vested interests should sort out the issues with the Lokayukta and ensure that he continues in office. This nature of exit would not augur well for the BJP government. Being a senior politician Mr Yeddyurappa is aware that denigrating an institution like Lokayukta eventually eclipses the credibility of the state government. He must support the Lokayukta in its crusade against corruption.