HYDERABAD: Retired Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, who headed the Commission of Inquiry into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), submitted his report on Thursday, the final day of the Commission’s extended term.
The 650-page report is likely to be placed before the state Cabinet for further discussion. If sources are to be believed, the government is likely to refer the matter to the CID and ask it to investigate the alleged irregularities.
Justice Ghose handed over the confidential three-volume report to Irrigation Principal Secretary Rahul Bojja at BRKR Bhavan. Bojja then passed it on to Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao. It was subsequently placed in a secure locker. Officials also informed Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the sources said.
Speaking to reporters, Justice Ghose said he has completed his task and that it was now up to the government to decide the next steps. As per procedure, the government is required to table the report of any Commission of Inquiry in the Legislative Assembly within six months. Sources indicated that while the Commission made several observations, it did not offer specific recommendations.
Sources say that a decision on referring the matter to the CID would be taken at the Cabinet level, only after a thorough review of the report.
Trust placed in Speaker not honoured in many cases: SC
“The very foundation of our democracy is shaken when elected representatives are allowed to defect and continue in office without timely adjudication. Parliament had placed trust in the Speaker to act swiftly. That trust, in many cases, has not been honoured,” the court observed.
In its 74-page order, the CJI-led bench said failure to issue directions would defeat the purpose of the anti-defection law. “If we do not intervene, it would amount to permitting the Speaker to repeat the widely criticised situation of ‘operation successful, patient died’,” the bench noted.
The court also said the Speaker issued notices on the disqualification petitions only after a seven-month delay, and only when the court took up the matter. It directed the Speaker to decide the petitions within three months and warned that any attempt by the MLAs to delay the process should invite adverse inference.
The court also urged Parliament to re-examine whether the current mechanism under the Tenth Schedule is effective. “It is for Parliament to consider whether entrusting the Speaker with the task of deciding disqualification cases is serving its intended purpose. If the very foundation of democracy is to be protected, the mechanism must be evaluated,” it said.
To be tabled in Assembly
The government is required to table the report of any Commission of Inquiry in the Legislative Assembly within six months
(With inputs from PTI)