BENGALURU: The search for the next Lokayukta of Karnataka may finally be over. Consensus has evolved around the name of retired Karnataka High Court judge P Vishwanath Shetty. His name was finalised in the high-level committee meeting chaired by CM Siddaramaiah to head the anti-corruption agency.
Apart from Siddaramaiah, who is the chairman, the high-level committee to select the Lokayukta comprises the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court SK Mukherjee, Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad, Legislative Council Chairman DH Shankaramurthy, Leaders of the Opposition in the two Houses of the legislature Jagadish Shettar and KS Eshwarappa as its members.
The names of Justices P Vishwanath Shetty, NK Patil and Anandbyra Reddy were discussed for the post and the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court has conveyed his consent for all the three names. The state government will soon recommend his name to Governor Vajubhai Vala for appointment as the Lokayukta, Siddaramaiah said after the meeting.
The anti-corruption agency has remained headless since the ignominious exit of former Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao in December 2015. Governor Vala had rejected the earlier recommendation of the state
government to appoint Justice SR Nayak, the present chairman of the Karnataka State Law Commission, for the post.