BENGALURU: Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa has decided to tread carefully on the petition seeking Upa Lokayukta Subhash B Adi’s removal. Thimmappa is in no hurry to write to Karnataka Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee seeking the constitution of a judges’ committee to look into the charges against Adi. Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Thimmappa, who has already admitted motions seeking the removal of both Lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao and Upa Lokayukta Adi, said enough evidence existed against Rao. “The notice against him was adopted in the House only after a Special Investigation Team was formed to probe charges against him,” Thimmappa said. In the case of the Upa Lokayukta, Congress legislators had relied heavily on charges made by Adi’s fellow Upa Lokayukta S B Majage, he explained.
Majage had spoken against Adi in his farewell speech. Emphasising the need to convince himself before approaching the CJ, he said, “While I found enough evidence against Lokayukta Rao, I need stronger evidence against Upa Lokayukta Adi to supplement the charges.” Kagodu is examining the charges by the Congress, the party he hails from, and also taking the help of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms to understand if Adi is guilty of a procedural lapse. He said he would write in a couple of days to the Chief Justice to constitute a committee to probe the charges against Rao, whose son allegedly ran an extortion racket using the Lokayukta’s name, office and official residence. While the BJP and the JD(S) have submitted a joint petition seeking Rao’s removal, they are not backing the Congress on the move to remove Adi. Congress MLAs have alleged Adi went beyond his jurisdiction and probed a corruption case against a doctor in Hubballi. He had given her a clean chit, which in their view amounted to “throwing all norms to the winds”.