Petitions questioning ACB formation sent to division bench

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday referred a batch of petitions questioning the formation of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to a division bench.

A batch of petitions were filed by some government officials questioning the formation of the ACB.

Suspended BBMP chief engineer (Major Roads) K T Nagaraj, one of the petitioners, questioned the formation of the ACB which is under the control of the government unlike the Lokayukta.

The petitioners have stated that the ACB was constituted without statutory backing.

The Lokayukta police was established under the provisions of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984, and therefore backed by statute, unlike the ACB.

Justice Byrareddy referred the matter to the division bench where a PIL on the ACB is pending. The division bench, on the PIL, had granted an interim order directing the Lokayukta to investigate old complaints and ACB to register new ones.