Justice Hegde takes us through his journey in this exclusive interview with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, in which he speaks about various aspects ranging from the mining report, his future plans and also his successes and failures in all the roles that he has donned so far.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday requested Justice N Santosh Hegde, who resigned from the post of Lokayukta of Karnataka on June 23 over the manner in which the government had treated some of his reports, to reconsider his decision.
Karnataka Governor H R Bharadwaj caught everyone by surprise on Wednesday when he said that he would immediately sign the papers if the government proposed the name of Justice Santosh Hegde for the post of Lokayukta.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde's sudden resignation has come as a shock to the state and an embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party government, which is incidentally gearing up for grand celebrations on Friday marking two years in office.
Justice Santosh Hegde, who has been leading the movement on the Jan Lokpal Bill in Bangalore, says that a wrong notion has been created that the members of the civil society are in no mood to even discuss issues with the government.
Does Sriramulu's victory on Sunday in Bellary mean the defeat of Justice Hegde's movement against corruption? The former Karnataka Lokayukta doesn't think so, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde, whose resignation was rejected by Governor H R Bhardwaj on Thursday, has refused to reconsider his decision.Speaking about his telephonic conversation with Home Minister P Chidambaram, Justice Hegde said it was merely a courtesy call. "He has every right to call me since we have been friends since the past 40 years. He was obviously taken aback by my decision to quit so suddenly," he said.
Putting an end to speculations on Saturday, Justice Hegde told rediff.com, "It is one of the most ridiculous rumours I have ever heard. On the one hand, I have been accused of being the one responsible for B S Yeddyurappa stepping down as chief minister because of my mining report. Now Yeddyurappa has rejoined the BJP and immediately the news floats that I too would be joining the same party. Does this not sound funny to you?
Speaking to PTI in Bengaluru, the former Supreme Court judge said every political party has "good and honest people" and targeting an outfit as a whole is not correct. He said he is opposed to such an idea (campaigning against a party).
The Lokpal Bill, which seeks to curb corruption, has run into rough weather after the government objected strongly to certain clauses in the much-anticipated bill.The prime bone of contention during Monday's meeting between representatives of the civil society and the Centre was the proposed inclusion of both the prime minister and the judiciary within the purview of the Lokpal bill.
Fresh controversy has erupted with regard to the Lokpal Bill with some members of the Bill drafting committee deciding not to take part in the next meeting.
The Kerala High Court has issued an interim stay against the release of 'The Kerala Story 2-Goes Beyond', citing concerns over the censor board's certification process and potential disruption of social harmony.
Hours before Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde demitted office, outgoing Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday filed a petition before him seeking reconsideration of his report indicting him in the illegal mining that cost him the top post.
The Madras High Court has reserved its order on a petition seeking a direction to the CBFC to grant a censor certificate to the Vijay starrer film 'Jana Nayagan'. The court considered arguments regarding the review process and complaints about the film's content.
The Madras high court on Friday directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant a censor certificate to actor-turned-politician Vijay's upcoming film Jana Nayagan, setting aside the board's directive to refer the matter to a review committee.
There is growing anger and restlessness among Vijay's supporters over the delay in issuing the censor certificate for his new film, Jana Nayagan.
Vicky Nanjappa speaks to Justice Santhosh Hegde, one of the members of the drafting panel of the Jan Lokpal Bill, who feels that it is unfortunate that Aam Admi party convener Arvind Kejriwal and his team are opposing the bill so much.
With the hotting up of the telecom and broadcasting sector due to entry of more and more players, legal disputes in the field are bound to increase, Justice Santosh Hegde, who took over as chairperson of TDSAT, said on Monday.
The Supreme Court allowed a pregnant woman and her child into India on humanitarian grounds after they were pushed into Bangladesh.
The government had stated that the Lokayukta had not given the persons named in the report an opportunity to present their case before he named them and recommended action against them.
Justice Santosh Hegde, who was part of the drafting committee of the Jan Lokpal Bill, says that his biggest complaint with regard to the new government draft of the Bill was that no independent probing agency had been provided for the Lokpal.
Justice Santhosh Hegde, who actually set the ball rolling, says he feels happy to see some outcome in the crusade against corruption.
Justice Santhosh Hegde, former Lokayukta of Karnataka and Team Anna member, has been booked by the police for falsifying charges against an IPS officer.
A group of retired judges has criticized Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks about opposition vice-presidential candidate B Sudershan Reddy and the Salwa Judum judgement, calling them 'unfortunate'.
The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a plea against the construction of a new passenger jetty and terminal at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, upholding a Bombay High Court verdict that allowed the project to proceed. The project aims to improve passenger travel between South Mumbai and other locations.
The defamation suit was filed by Indian Police Service officer, Hemanth Nimbalkar, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
Rubbishing the Congress' accusation that Team Anna was involved with foreign elements, one of its members and former Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde on Tuesday said blaming a foreign hand was a 'famous statement' of the 1970s. "This was a famous statement of the 1970s. Every time a fault was pointed out, (an allegation was made saying) it is the international phenomenon or a foreign hand is involved," said Justice Hegde.
A wasted exercise, a total flop show and not to mention a total failure: This is how Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santhosh Hegde, member of the Lokpal Bill drafting panel, described the final outcome following the last meeting of the committee with the government.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the argument that a three-judge bench, rather than a two-judge bench, should hear appeals of convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case. The court found that the Gujarat High Court commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment, therefore not requiring a three-judge bench. The hearing of the appeals will continue on Wednesday, with the state government seeking restoration of the death sentences of 11 convicts.
Legal experts have lauded Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna's decision to make public crucial documents related to a controversy surrounding the alleged discovery of cash from Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma's residence. They also welcomed the formation of an in-house committee to further investigate the matter. While some expressed concerns about the incident's impact on the judiciary's image, others emphasized the need for transparency and a fair inquiry. The Supreme Court released the inquiry report by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya, which included photos and videos of the alleged cash discovery. Justice Varma has denied the allegations, calling them a "conspiracy to frame and malign him."
As Anna Hazare's fast entered Day 11 on Friday, the split in his team widened. It's now Swami Agnivesh and Justice Hegde versus the rest! The duo feel that Hazare should have called off the fast on Thursday and that protesting out the prime minister's residence was uncalled for.
The Lokpal drafting panel which was constituted with great difficulty will continue to function the way it is with Justice N Santhosh Hegde deciding to stay on in the panel. Hegde spoke with Vicky Nanjappa following his decision to stay on in the panel.
Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj has rejected the resignation of the state's Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde. Sources in the Raj Bhavan, while refusing to reveal details about the governor's decision, confirmed that Justice Hegde's resignation had been rejected.The Lokayukta had tendered his resignation on Wednesday citing the failure of the government to protect the interest of the institution.Hegde slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party government for reneging on its promise.
The Supreme Court on Friday said if it finds that authorities in Gujarat acted in contempt of its order on demolition of properties, it will ask them to restore the structures.
Justice Santosh Hegde has become a very popular face at the protests against corruption at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
Justice Santosh Hegde has become a very popular face at the protests against corruption at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
The top court dismissed a plea seeking deferment of the NEET-PG which claimed that candidates have been allocated cities that are highly inconvenient for them to reach.
A last ditch attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party to refrain Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde from resigning has failed. State BJP unit chief K S Eshwarappa, Home Minister Dr V S Acharya and Law Minister Suresh Kumar met Justice Hegde and asked him to reconsider his decision, but the Lokayukta averred that he will not change his mind.
'The ruling does not automatically mean that your house can be taken away, but suppose it blocks an expressway or a highway or such essential development, then it can be taken away as long as there is a law to support that action.'
'I thought AAP will uphold administrative fairness which is not there. And it is an indication of the fact that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'
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