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Lokayukta Hegde pins hopes on apex court
Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service

Bangalore, July 23
“Government will not act on it...but my only hope is the Supreme Court,” said Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde to the PTI today. Hegde’s explosive report indicting several politicians including the K’taka Chief Minister is being printed, confided Hegde, who demits office on August 2.

Hegde also wrote to the Chief Secretary demanding security for five Forest department officials , who had helped him draw up the report. The City Police Commissioner and ACP ( Law and Order) later called on him to discuss arrangements.

His aides confirmed that Hegde has not asked for any security for himself. ?The boss is not bothered about his security. But his wife is worried,” they confided.

Even as the BJP struggled to cope with the rising demand, some of it from within the party, for the K’taka Chief Minister’s resignation, Hegde today appeared calm and relaxed. Fond of reading Asterix comics, he continues to display the nonchalance of Obelix.

The crisis within the BJP deepened with party vice president Shanta Kumar demanding that Yeddyurappa be removed immediately as K’taka CM as the delay had affected the party’s image.

Hegde’s report into illegal mining ? which is yet to be submitted to the government but has been leaked in the media creating turmoil in Karnataka and elsewhere in the country ? has turned out to be perfect finale for Hegde to sign off his eventful tenure as the Lokayukta of Karnataka.

Having handled close to 25000 cases during his five year stint as the Lokayukta of Karnataka, Hegde has finally netted the big fish. The small ones ? like the PWD chief engineer caught yesterday by the Lokayukta police with more than Rs 54 lakhs of cash under his mattress ? are aplenty in his bag. While Hegde is responsible for making the Karnataka Lokayukta?s office a high profile one, thanks to his frequent showdowns member of the political class, it is Hegde?s immediate predecessor N Venkatachala, also a former SC judge, who first rejuvenated the office. Number of complaints dramatically increased from 20-25 per day to 200-250 during Venkatachala?s tenure.

Hegde carried on the good work done by his predecessor. ?Hegde is also lucky to have some of finest police officers working for him as part of the Lokayukta police force?, Chiranjeevi Singh, who retired as principal secretary, rural development, Karnataka, said.