The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Judiciary should be made more accountable: Lokayukta

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 29, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Judiciary should be made more accountable: Lokayukta

Staff Reporter

Corruption is making people lose faith in the judiciary, says Venkatachala

APPRECIATION: The former judge of the Karnataka High Court M.F. Saldanha (left) and president of the Federation of Bar Associations in Karnataka K.N. Subba Reddy felicitating Lokayukta N. Venkatachala in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: V. Sre enivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: The increasing vulnerability of the judiciary to corruption was a cause for serious concern, said Lokayukta N. Venkatachala on Wednesday.

"Corruption in the judiciary is a big problem. Nothing can be worse for the legal system," Mr. Venkatachala said at a function organised by the Federation of Bar Associations in Karnataka to felicitate him. Mr. Venkatachala's term as Lokayukta comes to an end on June 30.

Instances of corruption in the judiciary were leading the public to lose faith in it, he said.

Citing a study done by Transparency International, Mr. Venkatachala said that 89 per cent of the public thought that the judiciary was corrupt.

The Lokayukta said the judiciary needed to be made more accountable. He suggested that the judiciary itself come up with some disciplinary rules, with all judges agreeing to abide by them.

The Lokayukta also provided several examples of corruption in various departments, including revenue, police and health and the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP). He said that on one occasion, the Lokayukta caught a contractor who had paid bribe 67 times to BMP officials.

Praised

Former Karnataka High Court judge M.F. Saldhana said Mr. Venkatachala was one of the best Lokayuktas that the country had ever had. "He brings tremendous courage and integrity to the job," he said. Mr. Saldhana said that Mr. Venkatachala's investigations were "fool proof, and a trial judge could convict a person by the evidence prepared by the Lokayukta."

Mr. Saldhana said that Mr. Venkatachala should be allowed to continue as Lokayukta for a second term. "He must be allowed to continue and he should continue," he added.

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