The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Probe sought into missing petitions

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Karnataka

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Probe sought into missing petitions

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: Members, cutting across party lines, in the Legislative Council on Friday demanded that the Government order an inquiry into the missing of 890 petitions submitted to the Karnataka State Women’s Commission in 2007.

Vimala Gowda (BJP), who moved a call attention motion on the missing of petitions from the office of the commission, said that corruption was rampant in the commission and the Government had not bothered to look into it. The commission was set up in 1995 to protect the interests and dignity of women. But the commission officials had been “collecting money” for disposal of cases, she charged.

The Women and Child Development Department had sent a letter to Pramila Nesargi, who was the chairperson of the commission between February and October 2007, seeking information on it. The letter sent to Ms. Nesargi in June this year says that of the 1,188 complaints that were received during her tenure, 890 were not to been found. Ms. Nesargi stepped down from the office during the President’s Rule in the State.

Ms. Gowda suggested to the Government to scrap the commission if the department failed to trace the petitions. A probe should be ordered and the officials concerned should be punished, she said.

Raising the issue, V.S. Ugrappa and Motamma (Congress), Basavaraj Horatti and Abdul Azeem (JD-S) and several other BJP members suggested to the Government to conduct a probe and file a criminal complaint against the officials concerned.

Mohan Limbikai (BJP) said the commission chairperson conducted a breach of trust by not ensuing that the files were kept properly.

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