By Firoz.T.Totanawala
The Bangalore Metro Reporter
CALLING THE CRUSADER!
LONG LIST OF JUDGES HAUNTED BY THE JUDICIAL SOCIETY WHO WILL BE NEXT?
The specter of Judicial Department Employees Housing Co-op Society is out to claim its victims. Lokayukta Shivaraj Patil, has already resigned following his involvement in procuring sites from the judicial society and Vyalikaval HBCS. Then, all of a sudden, the Upa Lokayukta R. Gururajan too has resigned his post. Interestingly, many probable names for the Lokayukta too have the same stigma. Considering the number of Judges (both serving and retired) of High Court and Supreme Court who are the beneficiaries of the sites from judicial society, one may not wonder if the Lokayukta post is not filled in the near future.
After the resignation of former Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Shivaraj Patil as the Lokayukta, the Upa-Lokayukta R Gururajan also has tendered his resignation to every one’s shock and surprise. Now, the Lokayukta office is left only with another Upa Lokayukta Justice S. B. Majage who has to manage the affairs until new Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta are appointed by the Government which is making out all efforts to select the persons to the post.
As per the law, a retired Supreme Court Judge or a Chief Justice of a High Court has to be nominated as the Lokayukta and the Upa Lokayukta has to be filled by a retired High Court Judge. In the wake of sital scams and more focus on the honesty and integrity that the chair deserves, there are not many takers to these posts as some may find themselves in embarrassing situation later when exposed. As long as the Juducial Society is concerned, it is meant to provide benefits to its members who should be the employees of the Judiciary. And apparently, the Judges of the High Court and Supreme are not the employees of the Judiciary, but are constitutional authorities.
However, despite the reluctance of many former judges to become the Lokayukta, there are some names doing rounds as serious contenders. Among them, the prominent names are of R. V. Raveendran, a sitting Supreme Court Judge who is to retire next month, V. S. Malimath, a former Chief Justice of the High Court and Bannurmath also a former Chief Justice of the High Court. The choice will be invariably made among these three, if one looks at the indications, unless the Government opts for an outsider.
Even, if one of these three is nominated to the Lokayukta post, one will have no doubt about specter of judicial society haunting them for the simple reason that they too have procured big sites from the judicial society. V. S. Malimath, may feel embarrassed by the fact that the Judicial society has given him 80x120 site when he was a Judge of the High Court.
The other name is of Bannurmath who is also a close relative of V. S. Malimath. In case, V. S. Malimath decides not to opt for the post, he may back Bannurmath and Bannurmath too has to explain his procurement of a 60x90 site from the Judicial Society.
The third strong contender is R. V. Raveendran, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and he will be retiring in November. If R. V. Raveendran has to be made the Lokayukta, the Government has to wait till his retirement. But again, he too has procured 80x120 site from the Judicial society, illegally.
So, all the three prominent names for the Lokayukta Post are being haunted by the Judicial Society! It is another matter that more than 80 High Court and Supreme Court Judges have procured sites from the Judicial Society layout in Yelahanka. Similarly, some more judges have procured sites in the judicial Layout at Thalaghattapura and one wonders whether a suitable retired High Court Chief Judge or a Supreme Court Judge can be found to the job in the present situation!
And by the way, the present Upa Lokayukta, S. B. Majage too has procured a 50x80 site from the judicial society! One may not wonder, if he too puts his papers in the near future! Interestingly, Patri Basavanagowda, who retired as Upa Lokayukta some months back too has procured a site from the Judicial Society!
Well, there we are. The selection of the candidate as the most reputed and needed Lokayukta and Upa-lokayukta is going to be very tough indeed. The ghost of sites in Judicial Society is quietly watching and unfortunately many are sailing in the same boat. Don’t be surprised if the chairs remain vacant for long as the list of beneficiaries in Judicial society is very very long.
And that is all.
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