Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa inaugurated the hearing and disposal programme for pending Lokayukta cases at SVS on Friday
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Justice Veerappa said the judiciary and press upheld Constitution by raising their voices against injustice. At a critical juncture when the legislature and executive were faltering, there was a growing perception that the judiciary and press were also becoming ineffective, he said. He said society had collectively nurtured the “demon” of corruption and advocated the social boycott of corrupt people by their families and communities. Society was responsible for the growing number of educated deceivers, while accepting money for votes was contributing to its decline, he said. Justice Veerappa said India could become one of the world’s most powerful nations if people rejected selfishness and corruption. Referring to poet Kuvempu’s vision and Indian Constitution, he said every individual had equal rights, but people fought for their rights while neglecting their duties. He said persistent Lokayukta efforts had prompted govt to order the allotment of housing sites to all ex-servicemen and their legal heirs in their respective districts or taluks. The order followed one-and-a-half years of continuous efforts, and distribution should be undertaken on a war footing, he said. He said Lokayukta could take strict action against officials negligent in discharging their duties and urged them to work diligently and honestly.
Speaking at a special hearing and disposal programme for pending Lokayukta cases from Belagavi and Bailhongal subdivisions at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, he stressed transparency, accountability and public cooperation to ensure good governance. They pledged to work without corruption while simultaneously engaging in corrupt practices, he added. Expressing concern that false cases were obstructing genuine matters and delaying justice, Justice Veerappa warned that complainants masquerading as social or RTI activists and filing false cases against govt officials could face up to three years’ imprisonment. District and sessions court judge Manjunath Nayak, ZP CEO Rahul Shinde, SP K Ramarajan, deputy registrar of Lokayukta Aravind, DFO Kranti, ADC Vijayakumar Honakeri and Lokayukta SP Prasanna Desai attended. Download the TOI App.
Belagavi : Deputy Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa on Friday called for collective public participation to eradicate corruption, saying Lokayukta alone could not eliminate the menace.