Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh N Hegde, who is probing illegal mining in the state, on Thursday claimed that his phone has been tapped. Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge, told PTI that after reports of alleged bugging in the office of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee surfaced, he had asked a professional to carry out a check in his office. "(The professional) told me that my telephone has been tapped. Every conversation was being recorded," he said.
Crisis in the Bharatiya Janata Party's Karnataka unit appeared to worsen on Friday with former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa insisting on a February 27 ultimatum for his reinstatement and party president Nitin Gadkari ruling out replacing incumbent Sadananda Gowda. Yeddyurappa, who was forced to resign more than six months ago after a Lokayukta report indicted him on illegal mining, made it clear to the party chief that he was in no mood to wait any longer.
"We are inclined to stay the proceedings. Accordingly the proceedings on the FIR on the issue ordered by the Karnataka Lokayukta will remain stayed," a bench comprising justices Altamas Kabir and Gyan Sudha Misra said.
Explaining his vision for the region, Modi cited the example of Kutch district of Gujarat.
With the Congress' 'Bellary Chalo' march in protest against the BJP government's "failure" to check illegal mining entering the fifth day, three Karnataka ministers today launched a counter rally challenging the Opposition to prove its charge.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has decided to withdraw his resignation."If Governor H R Bhardwaj gives me an appointment, I will meet him on Sunday to withdraw my resignation," Hegde told reporters on Saturday.The top anti-corruption official had resigned to protest the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government's inaction about several of his reports, specially the one about the illegal mining lobby operating in Karnataka.
Yeddyurappa is being questioned by the CBI in connection with the illegal mining and land de-notification case.
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.
The Lokayukta court has summoned former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to appear before it on August 27.The former CM and his family members were indicted in a report on the illegal mining racket in the state by former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde. The case against Yeddyurappa was filed by advocate Sirajudin Pasha. Earlier, the state governor had accorded sanction to prosecute the beleaguered BJP leader.But the trouble for the ruling BJP doesn't end here.
D Sadananda Gowda will be sworn in as the new chief minister of Karnataka on Thursday at 4.30 pm, according to a communication from the Raj Bhavan.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka is keeping matters close to its heart amid factions within the party warring over the post of the next chief minister.
Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who lost his job in the wake of his indictment by Lokayukta in the illegal mining scam, on Tuesday publicly said he would return to this post in six months.
A crucial meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party legislature party, chaired by B S Yeddyurappa, will be held at 4:30 am on Friday at Hotel Ashok.
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.
The report on illegal mining by Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has stepped up the heat on big wigs in the state including Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
The political crisis in Karnataka appears to be going out of hand. On one hand former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa has parked himself along with 55 of his loyalist MLAs in a resort in Bengaluru, while on the other hand 10 Lok Sabha members from Karnataka have threatened to quit in case the Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership does not take a decision on a leadership change in the state
When defenceless, you counter attack. This is the strategy that Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has decided to adopt against the Congress, which is gunning for his head in the wake of the soon-to-be-released report on illegal mining. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Demand for the removal of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday emerged from within the Bharatiya Janata Party in the wake of the Lokayukta indicting him in his report on illegal mining in the state.
While Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has made it clear that he would not step down from his post, a discussion is already on about who is going to replace him in such a situation. The discussion has emerged in the wake of the illegal mining report which names Yeddyurappa.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will be in New Delhi on March 12 and will seek his reinstatement as CM of Karnataka.
The family of Swami Nigamananda, who died on Monday after a 114-day fast in the Bharatiya Janata Party led-Uttarakhand, suspect foul play behind his death. The seer slipped into coma while he was agitating for saving the Ganga River and checking illegal mining on its banks.
Shiva Solanki, nephew of Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Dinu Solanki was on Tuesday arrested from near the Rajkot airport in connection with the murder of Right To Information activist and green crusader Amit Jethwa in Ahmedabad, police said.
'This move rendered the chiefs of important investigative agencies to the status of daily wage earners. It undermined the autonomy and independence of the agencies.'
Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde on Monday described as "too premature" the clean chit given by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to the Reddy brothers facing charges of illegal mining.
Karnataka ministers G Janardhan Reddy and G Karuanakar Reddy, under pressure over allegations of illegal mining, today paid an unscheduled visit to New Delhi and met senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, after which they dismissed all the charges against them.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government has adjourned the Karnataka legislative assembly sine die to wade off the opposition protests seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into illegal mining.
Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj, who is gunning for the removal of Reddy brothers from the state ministry on the issue of illegal mining, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram and is understood to have discussed the issue.
With the Karnataka assembly continuing to be rocked over the alleged illegal mining issue, state Governor H R Bharadwaj on Tuesday said nobody can be given license to indulge in corruption and that he would not shirk from his responsibilities.
Mining companies will now have to cap mining activities in Goa.
There are further problems ahead for the illegal mining industry. A lorry laden with Rs 4.95 crore in cash was seized at Guntakal by the Ananthpur district police.
Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj on Wednesday said he has a list of corrupt people in the state and offered to furnish it to those interested. "I have given the list to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa also," Bhardwaj said. Bhardwaj's remarks came just a few days after he shot off two letters to Yeddyurappa seeking his response to land scam charges against him and on illegal mining allegedly involving three ministers -- G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakara Reddy and B Sreeramulu.
Lok Sabha member D V Sadananda Gowda was on Thursday sworn-in as chief minister of Karnataka, succeeding B S Yeddyurappa, who quit in the wake of the Lokayukta report on illegal mining that indicted him.
It was the name that was doing the rounds in the media since ousted Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa was asked to resign following the Lokayukta report on illegal mining.
Amid speculation that Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will be forced to quit in the wake of Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hedge indicting him and others in his report on illegal mining, the news from the Bharatiya Janata Pary high command is that any decision in this regard will be taken only on Thursday.
Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj said on Wednesday that he is not asking the Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, to submit to him his final report on illegal mining in the State.
With just a few hours to go before Lokayukta of Karnataka Justice Santhosh Hegde submits his report on illegal mining, there is a lot of talk about a possible successor to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
Justice Shivraj Patil will take over as the Lokayukta in Karnataka once Justice Santosh Hegde retires in August.Justice Patil, who belongs to the Lingayat community of Karnataka, was recently in the news when he was the appointed to probe the lapses in the sale of 2G spectrum by the telecom ministry. Justice Patil will take over as the top anti-corruption official of Karnataka at a crucial time, when the state government is trying to play down the report on illegal mining.
With barely a day to go before the much-hyped Lokyukta report on illegal mining, Karnataka has erupted into a hotbed of activity. While Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's rivals are plotting his removal in the wake of his name appearing in the report, the man himself is holding his chair very tight.
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.
The IT department also questioned the various investments made by his family members in India and countries abroad.
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