BENGALURU: Justice KN Phaneendra, former judge of the Karnataka High Court, has been appointed Upa Lokayukta. The post fell vacant after the term of Justice N Ananda as Upa Lokayukta ended on December 2020.
According to the State Government’s notification on Tuesday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai recommended Justice Phaneendra’s name for the post after consulting the Chief Justice of the High Court, Speaker of Legislative Assembly, Chairman of Legislative Council and Leader of Opposition in both the Houses of the Karnataka Legislature. Accordingly, Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot issued a notification appointing Justice Phaneendra as Upa Lokayukta. He is likely to take oath next week.
Born on May 20, 1958, Phaneendra enrolled as an advocate in 1985 and practised in Tumakuru district on civil and criminal matters. He was directly recruited as District and Sessions Judge in 1998, served as Additional District and Sessions Judge in Bengaluru and Shivamogga and as Principal District and Sessions Judge in Udupi, Haveri and Belagavi.
Justice Phaneendra also served as Secretary to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court; director, Bangalore Mediation Centre, and Principal Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, Department of Law, Justice and Human Rights.
On October 24, 2013, he was appointed as Additional Judge of the High Court of Karnataka and became permanent judge on March 4, 2016. He retired as High Court judge in May 2020.