Bengaluru on August 12 : The Karnataka government has sought the opinion of its Legal Department in connection with the High Court order nullifying the order to establish the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and giving all the powers back to the Lokayukta.Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday announced that he had directed the Law Minister J.C.Madhuswamy and the Advocate General to look into the decision made by the High Court regarding the closure of ACB and to submit the report.”Based upon the findings, a new course of action will be determined,” he said.
He claimed that the issue of ending the ACB was discussed informally during the cabinet meeting.”BJP will make a decision on this issue in line with its pledges in its manifesto for election,” he said.
The BJP stated that it would shut down the ACB in its campaign manifesto.
However, as the matter was in the court the court, there was no decision in this direction.
“Now the court has shut down the ACB.If it’s needed the government will adopt legislation .,” Bommai stated.
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday has ruled in the annulment of the decision of creation of the ACB by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in 2016.
A division bench of Justice B.Veerappa and Justice K.S.Hemalekha had issued an decision on an Public Interest Litigation (PIL) asking about the cancellation of police station status to the Lokayukta agency and the creation of ACB.
The court also placed the ACB under the supervision of the Lokayukta.
The bench had noted that it is necessary to amend the Lokayukta Act and the staff and officers must be appointed for three years.The selection process for the posts of the Lokayukta as well as Upa Lokayukta has to be made in the context of the ability to fill the position not on the basis of caste, the bench said.
It also stated that people accused of corruption should not be allowed to escape and that the Lokayukta Police will have to carry out the investigation.Reaffirming the police station status of the Lokayukta the court ordered that all ACB cases of ACB must be transferred to Lokayukta.
It was claimed that the decision to establish the ACB was made to make the Lokayukta unenforceable, in collusion with politicians of all major parties in order to avoid accusations against them.Following the establishment of the ACB the respective governments gained complete control over the organization and made it as an instrument of control according to the allegations.
mka/vd
