Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Feb 18: Through a notification addressed to all the state Lokayuktas, director of the Anti Corruption Bureau under Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has given its nod to the Lokayukta for taking steps against corrupt central government employees in the state. So far, the Lokayukta had jurisdiction only on state government employees. Armed with this notification, the Karnataka Lokayukta will now be able to bring under its purview the railways, banks, telecom, post and telegraph, customs and central excise, apart from other offices that operate across the state.
The CBI, which is grappling with the problems relating to staff shortage and communication bottlenecks, has decided to get help from the Lokayukta to nip corruption in the central government offices. In the past, an aggrieved person from any corner of the state was compelled to personally visit the state headquarters to complain to the CBI about corruption by central government employees. The CBI officials too found it hard to visit far off places to act on such complaints. Lokayukta additional director general of police, Roop Kumar Dutta, said that instructions have been passed on to all the Lokayukta superintendents of police and deputy superintendents of police in this connection, and that they will be instructed to arrest central government employees found to be accepting bribes.
He clarified that there is no need to ammend the prevailing acts for conferring this power to the Lokayukta, as the CBI officials and Lokayukta officials act under the Prevention of Corruption Act. “Bribe is always a bribe, whether it is accepted by the central or state government employees. Accepting money for discharging public duty is an offence,” he added.
He said that the Lokayukta gave its nod for the proposal, after holding several rounds of discussions on the issue. “Henceforth, if central government employees demand for bribe, the concerned can complain to the district Lokayukta superintendents of police. Once the concerned are caught red-handed with proof, the cases are handed over to CBI for further investigation,” Dutta said.