BENGALURU: Former judge of Karnataka High Court, Justice B Veerappa, known as ‘Judge of the Common Man’, has been appointed the Upalokayukta of the state. On Thursday, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot appointed Justice Veerappa as Upalokayukta, following which the state government issued a notification. He is likely to take oath on Saturday.
The post of Upalokayukta was vacant for almost two years, after the then Upalokayukta Justice BS Patil became Lokayukta in June 2022. Abolition of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), established by the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, in March 2016, and restoring the powers of the Prevention of Corruption Act with the Lokayukta, is a feather in the cap for Justice Veerappa, who headed the Division Bench that delivered the verdict in August 2022.
The very same Siddaramaiah government recommended Justice Veerappa’s name for Upalokayukta after consulting the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Chairman of the Legislative Council and the Leaders of Opposition in both Houses of the Legislature. Accepting it, the Governor appointed Justice Veerappa as Upalokayukta.
He had set a new record in the country by taking steps to dispose of the highest number of pre-litigation and pending cases, as chairman of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA). In all, 1.08 crore cases were disposed of through six Lok Adalats during his tenure. He was instrumental as chairman of KSLSA in the state government declaring a 50-per cent rebate on traffic fines, which fetched crores of rupees in revenue to the state exchequer.
Born on June 1, 1961, Justice Veerappa hails from Nagadenahalli village of Srinivasapura taluk in Kolar district. After completing his LLB, he practised in the High Court of Karnataka in 1988. Later, he served as a government advocate from 1995 to 2015. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court on January 2, 2015, and permanent judge on December 30, 2016. He retired in June 2023.