BENGALURU: On July 3, 2001, former Supreme Court Judge Justice Nanjegowda Venkatachala took over as the head of the anti-corruption watchdog institution on his 71st birthday. Not many, including those working in the MS Building which houses government offices and also the Lokayukta headquarters — knew what it was all about.
Justice Venkatachala, 89, who passed away on Wednesday after having an accidental fall at his residence in Bengaluru, from which he could not be revived, gave much needed visibility and a new identity to the institution which hitherto functioned like any other government department.
Under Venkatachala, Karnataka Lokayukta which was instituted in 1986 — and which has now again been reduced to a toothless tiger — emerged as a role model for its counterparts in other states across India. He was a terror for the tainted officials, who had never expected a former SC judge to land in their office on surprise raids and blast them in front of their colleagues and juniors. He swooped down on government offices, hospitals and police stations across the state, all through his tenure, from 2001 to 2006.
The Lokayukta and the institution was at the centre of a crusade against corruption. Though nothing much of the change may be visible today, nearly 14 years after he demitted office, his memory still inspires awe among government officials.
“Corrupt officials must be made to feel ashamed before their colleagues, especially juniors in their offices,” Justice Venkatachala had told journalists, including this reporter, immediately after one such raid in Bengaluru. He was working hard, travelling across the state and meeting people,who started visiting the office with a hope to get their grievances redressed.
Unfortunately, the same zeal to fight corruption was missing among those in power and the permission to prosecute the corrupt was either delayed or denied. Justice Venkatachala knew how the system worked and he tried to do his best.
As Satyanarayan Kadam — who spent over 20 years in the Lokayukta before his retirement six years ago — says, Justice Venkatachala would come to office by 9.30am and and on most days he was in office till late in the evening.
“The institution had reached its peak during Justice Venkatachala’s and Justice N Santosh Hegde’s tenure,” says Kadam.
Justice Venkatachala’s hard work was infectious, and under his leadership the institution was always buzzing with activity. In fact, he launched a crusade against corruption at the grassroot level by starting ‘touring courts’. He took with him a team of senior officers from the district administration to meet people and try to redress their grievances on the spot. His touring courts had become an instant hit.
As expected, many questioned his style of functioning. Many even said there was no need for a former SC judge to go on raids. They challenged the Lokayukta’s claims about uncovering scams as most of those cases hardly reached their logical end. In 2009, he had joined the BJP, but was not an active member. He will always be remembered for his time as Lokayukta.