Karnataka Lokayukta resigns

BENGALURU: It is official with Raj Bhavan on Tuesday confirming that Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao has resigned. A communique from Raj Bhavan said governor Vajubhai R Vala had accepted the resignation of Justice Rao with immediate effect. TOI was the first to break the news that Lokayukta had sent his resignation to governor. The communique said the Lokayukta had sent his resignation letter to the governor on Monday noon. Justice Rao's resignation brings the curtains down to an eight-month clamour for his resignation following the alleged involvement of his son and other Lokayukta officials in an extortion racket within the anti-graft agency. The racket came to the fore in May when Lokayukta SP Sonia Narang's letter on corruption within the institution forced an internal investigation into the scam. A special investigation team that was constituted arrested Justice Rao's son Y Ashwin his associates and some officials of the institution in August. Chief minister Siddaramaiah has convened a meeting of the chief justice of Karnataka high court, presiding officers and opposition leaders of both Houses of the legislature on Tuesday to shortlist names for the appointment of the second Upa Lokayukta. This is to fill the vacancy of Upa Lokayukta Justice S B Majage, who retired in July. The government had twice sent the name of retired high court judge K L Manjunath to the governor, who rejected it. -TOI