Lok Ayukta Justice Santosh Hegde said he would submit the final report into illegal mining in the second week of July. Speaking to Business Standard here on Thursday, Justice Hegde said the report was ready and hinted that many “influential politicians and officials” would be implicated.
“I will submit my final report and it is up to the government to take further action,” he said. On the probe into charges against chief minister Yeddyurappa, Justice Hegde said he had been probing only one case (pertaining to CM) and since the matter was subjudice he could not do anything further.
The Lok Ayukta admitted that the rate of conviction in cases filed by the Lok Ayukta was dismal, he said it was 20 per cent and not 5 per cent as reported in a section of the media.
He attributed the low rate of conviction to delay in completing the trial in the courts. He said the case comes up for hearing in the special courts after ten years by which time the witnesses would have turned hostile.
Replying to a question he said the Lokpal Bill drafted by the government if accepted would be an ‘impotent Lokpal Act’ as the provisions were very weak. He said the civil society was justified in having a say in the drafting of the Lokpal Bill and ridiculed Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal’s stand that the government and Parliament were supreme in the matter and the civil society had no locus standi.
“In a democracy, people are supreme and they have every right to air their opinion in the framework of law. Nobody can take away this right. Accepting the people’s view is left to the Parliament and the government,” he asserted.
Justice Hegde denied allegations that corporate sector had not been included in the purview of Lokpal in the draft Bill and said the NGOs and corporate sector engaged in financial dealings with the government came under the ambit of Lokpal.
On his post-retirement plans, Justice Hegde said he would support pro-people movements but would not take active part due to “financial constraints”.
