CM responding well to find spotless judge for Lokayukta: Guv

"The Chief Minister is responding well to appoint a spotless judge as the new Lokayukta," he told reporters on the sidelines of Armed Forces Flag Day organised at the Raj Bhavan here.

Bhardwaj had last month rejected the recommendation for appointing former Kerala High Court Chief Justice S R Bannurmath as Lokayukta, alleging he was embroiled in a controversy.

Justice Bannurmath is facing allegations of securing allotment of a residential site in a judicial layout on a land earmarked for civic amenities.

Bhardwaj, who has been having an uneasy relationship with the BJP government ever since he occupied the gubernatorial post, said he was waiting for the right person to assume charge of the Lokayukta.

"I will not take even a minute to ratify the appointment of a judge as Lokayukta if people of the state and the press have faith in him," he added.

He, however, said he was in no hurry to address the issue as he despised bothering the Chief Minister when the Assembly session was underway.

The Lok Ayukta post has been lying vacant for the past two months after Justice Shivraj Patil quit over a land controversy with opinion divided between the government and the Opposition on appointing Bannurmath.

Patil, a former Supreme Court judge who succeeded Santosh Hegde in August, had quit over allotment of housing sites to him and his wife in violation of rules.