The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : `Bank on Lok Ayukta to fight graft'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 26, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

`Bank on Lok Ayukta to fight graft'

By Our Staff Reporter

KURNOOL, FEB. 25. The Andhra Pradesh Lok Ayukta, R. Ramanujam, has called upon people to fight against corruption through the institution.

Talking to reporters here on Friday, he said Lok Ayukta was the only forum for people to take on the corrupt.

In the conventional process, people should approach the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which would take up the case according to its priority. The Lok Ayukta, on the other hand, would take up investigation immediately upon filing of a case against an official or elected representative.

Stating that India figured among the most corrupt nations, he called for urgent steps to check the trend. He promised to give protection to persons who filed cases against the corrupt or gave evidence against such people.

Most of the cases filed before the Lok Ayukta were of individual in nature like non-issuance of pattadar passbooks, pensions, ex gratia, etc. Even in cases where it had no clear-cut jurisdiction, the Lok Ayukta had been accepting petitions and making efforts to convince officers concerned on the need to help the aggrieved.

He said the powers of the Lok Ayukta were limited in that it could not award punishment. Mr. Justice Ramanujam said he had written to the government to accord powers to the Lok Ayukta on par with the powers enjoyed by the body in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Also, the institution was badly hit by shortage of funds, he added.

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