BENGALURU: The Karnataka Legislature Secretariat has sought more information from the Lokayukta Registrar on the charges hurled against Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash Adi by Congress MLAs who are seeking his removal.
According to official sources, Assembly Secretariat officials wrote to the Lokayukta Registrar through the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, seeking corroborative evidence against Justice Adi for alleged misconduct while discharging his duties.
The Three Main Allegations
The secretariat has sought details on three major allegations against Justice Adi, including disposing of a case filed against Dr Shailaja Patil of Hubballi by the Lokayukta police for alleged misuse of medicines supplied by the state government, overstepping his jurisdiction.
Apart from this, Congress legislators had accused Adi of exerting pressure on the police to arrest management representatives of a premier educational institution in the city, over an alleged incident of thrashing of a girl student.
The other major charges against Justice Adi include turning a blind eye to the deeds of Gangadhara Swamy, a KAS officer, and his son-in-law, who had allegedly illegally facilitated the transfer of a piece of land owned by a housing society to a private person when he was the assistant commissioner.
Congress had alleged that Justice Adi, in his attempt to save his kin, had failed to write to the state government seeking permission to prosecute Gangadhara Swamy when the matter was being heard by the Lokayukta.
Trouble For Adi in The Recent PastThe legislature had adopted a motion submitted by the Congress MLAs against Adi in both Houses recently.
The Assembly Secretariat is now focusing on gathering documents to substantiate the charges before referring it to the Chief Justice Karnataka High Court for further action which may lead to Adi’s impeachment.
Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa had recently said, “More evidence is required to substantiate the charges against Justice Adi before forwarding the motion adopted in the House to the Chief Justice”.
Congress leaders, however, have maintained that there is sufficient evidence to prove the charges against Adi.