Karnataka minister for tourism and mining magnate Janardhan Reddy has decided to hang his boots as an industrialist for good.
Facing flak from opposition Congress on the mining issue, the Karnataka government on Monday ordered a probe by Lokayukta into illegal export of minerals, including iron ore, from 2000 till date.
Pulling up the Bharatiya Janata Party government for "inordinate delay" in appointing the lokayukta, Karnataka high court on Monday warned it would write to the governor that there is a Constitutional crisis if it failed to respond positively.
The case to be probed against S M Krishna would involve the dereservation of 34 forest blocks that allegedly facilitated illegal mining. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
In a major embarrassment for the Uttar Pradesh government, the SC on Wednesday appointed retired judge Justice Virender Singh as the state's Lokayukta.
The issues of recall of Gujarat governor and dismissal of Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh created turmoil in Parliament on Tuesday leading to adjournment of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha till noon.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking for the "immediate recall" of Governor Kamla Beniwal for bypassing the state government and appointing Justice (retired) R A Mehta as the Lokayukta. Here's the full text dated September 1, 2011.
Following allegations that his office tried to bribe some journalists by sending Rs 1 lakh cash gifts to them on Deepavali, along with sweet boxes, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday denying his role, called it a 'lie' and part of the 'Congress' toolkit'.
Justice Madanlal Laxmandas Tahaliyani, a retired judge of the Bombay high court, was on Monday sworn in as the new Maharashtra Lokayukta.
Expressing doubts over the state government implementing his report on the mining scam in Karnataka, state Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde on Saturday said his only hope was the Supreme Court.
Madhya Pradesh anti-corruption officials have raided properties belonging to Chief Conservator of Forest B K Singh and unearthed disproportionate assets worth Rs 42 crores from his residences in Bhopal and Ujjain.
Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta Justice N K Mehrotra on Tuesday recommended an inquiry by an independent agency, including Central Bureau of Investigation or Enforcement Directorate, against former sports minister Ayodhya Prasad Pal in a disproportionate assets case.
A complaint was on Wednesday filed in the Lokayukta court against four former Karnataka chief ministers, including former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, for alleged irregularities in the Bangalore-Mysore expressway project.
Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, a member of the joint drafting committee on the Lokpal Bill, on Monday said that he would not like to continue in his chair after the expiry of his five-year term in August.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday charged BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi with having balked at appointing a RTI Commissioner and Lokayukta in Gujarat for fear of being booked for alleged irregularities in providing benefits to his favourite industrial group.
Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde on Wednesday said he would take the assistance of the Central Bureau of Investigation 'if need arise' in the investigation into illegal mining in the state
In a jolt to former Chief Minister Mayawati, the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta has said public money worth Rs 1,400 crore was siphoned off in construction of memorials during her regime and indicted 199 people including her close aide and former BSP minister Naseemuddi Siddiqui.
A third judge of the Gujarat high court on Wednesday began hearing the dispute over appointment of Lokayukta of the state, following the split verdict where two judges had differed on the matter.
The Gujarat high court on Wednesday issued a fresh notice to Justice R A Mehta (retired) who was appointed as the Lokayukta by the governor bypassing the Narendra Modi government. The state government has challenged the governor's decision in the high court.
More than Rs 8 crore unaccounted cash has been seized in subsequent raids at various locations by Lokayukta. The arrested officer's father is Madal Virupakshappa, the MLA representing Channagiri constituency in Davangere district of the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leadership tried to influence Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde against mentioning Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's name in the mining report that is all set to be released in July. "I was told by BJP leader Dhananjay Kumar (former Union minister from Mangalore) to go soft on Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa while preparing the report on illegal mining," said Justice Hegde.
In the wake of a split verdict by the Gujarat high court on the controversial appointment of Lokayukta by the Governor, the issue is now likely to go to a third judge for breaking the tie.
Justice Yashwant Varma noted that the 75-year-old politician's objection with respect to the maintainability of the proceedings were not dealt with by the anti-corruption authority.
The stalemate over the appointment continues as UP CM Akhilesh Yadav recommends same name to Ram Naik for the fourth time in 20 days.
The case was registered against the veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader by Lokayukta police in 2015 based on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
The government is moving a proposal to amend the Lokpal Act and the law governing the functioning of the Central Bureau of Investigation to ensure there is no requirement of "quorum" in the respective selection panels for choosing the anti-corruption ombudsman or the CBI chief.
In a report tabled in Parliament recently, it said several complaints are being disposed of by the Lokpal on the ground that they are not in the prescribed format and asked it not to reject genuine complaints.
Kejriwal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not talk about fighting corruption as a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA in Karnataka was not arrested despite a huge amount of cash was found at his home.
Karnataka Horticulture Minister Munirathna on Thursday said he would be filing a Rs 50-crore defamation case and a criminal defamation case against the Karnataka State Contractors' Association, which has made a 40 per cent commission charge against the government and accused him of collecting money.
Hazare also said it seems the new policy will encourage liquor sale and consumption and spur corruption.
"It is mentioned that there is no provision in the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 for appeal, review or reconsideration of an order passed by a bench of the Lokpal of India. It is hereby informed to all concerned that no appeal or request for review/reconsideration of an order will be entertained by the Lokpal of India," the Lokpal said in a notice.
The list does not include Jagadish Shettar who met BJP president J P Nadda earlier in the day to stake his claim to contest from his Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency.
Former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday demanded that the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state prove with evidence that there was 40 per cent commission during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party rule.
He also promised to give free electricity, quality education in government schools and good healthcare for the state's people.
Will the new Congress government implement the five 'guarantees' that helped it in part to wrest power from the Bharatiya Janata Party in toto or will they now add a "conditions apply" clause?
Shivakumar also claimed that the BJP wanted to call for elections in Karnataka soon after the 2022 Gujarat poll results were out but backtracked on the move.
An official said Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty, a judicial member of Lokpal, has been given additional charge of the post of chairperson.
The committee, in its report, said that the central government may be requested to consider the inclusion of power of review in the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act.
The MES and some political outfits in Maharashtra have been pressing for this demand on the ground that the district and a few other neighbouring areas of Karnataka have a substantial Marathi speaking population.
Apart from the appointment of Lokpal at the national level and Lokayukta in states, Hazare has been demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations and some electoral reforms.
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