BANGALORE: It looks like that anything that the government does with respect to the Lokayukta institution is wrong. While its recommendation to appoint Justice S R Bannurmath as Lokayukta has been rejected by the Governor, its appointment of Justice Chandrashekaraiah as Upalokayukta has earned the ire of High Court Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen.
In his letter written to Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, Justice Sen has urged the former to recall Justice Chandrashekraiah.
In a strong letter, Sen has registered his dissent over the manner in which the second Upalokayukta, Justice Chandrashekharaiah was appointed.
Sources in the government said that the CJ in his letter to the CM, expressed dissent saying that he was not consulted while appointing Chandrashekharaiah. The CJ noted that as per section 3(2)(A) of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984, he should have been consulted.
The rule says that the government must consult a panel comprising the presiding officers of both Houses of the Legislature, Opposition leaders of the two Houses and CJ of High Court.
It is said that the CJ had suggested another name for the Upalokayukta but the government without even informing him nominated Justice Chandrashekharaiah. Meanwhile, sources in the BJP say that the CM is under pressure to persuade Chandrashekharaiah to step down. It is said that the appointment has not gone down well with former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa too as the latter percieves the present Upalokayukta as JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s man.
The CM is said to have reluctantly accepted to convince Chandrashekharaiah to step down.
This apart, the allegation of former Kerala CJ S R Bannurmath that Chandrashekhariah had taken a plot in the judicial layout violating rules could snowball into a major controversy soon.