Probes could be hit as Lokayukta gets ACB workload, but not staff

After the ACB was abolished, 75% of the files were transferred to the Lokayukta, but only 50% posts of the former were shifted

Karnataka's Lokayukta is reeling under a staff shortage that could cripple crucial investigations, as the agency looks to dispose of the pile of workload it inherited from the now-scrapped Anti-Corruption Bureau.

After the ACB was abolished, 75% of the files were transferred to the Lokayukta, but only 50% posts (266 out of 524) of the former were shifted to the anti-graft agency, according to a recent government order seen by DH.

Officials occupying the remaining posts have been moved to either the state government or the Karnataka Police, raising the prospect of investigations being handicapped as the Lokayukta was already short-staffed.

On top of it, the judicial wing of the Lokayukta is also reeling under staff shortage, with close to 380 vacancies.

The Lokayukta has now formed a committee to assess the matter.

Speaking to DH, Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B S Patil said: “We are still in the process of receiving all the files from the ACB and are not sure about the magnitude of complaints. We have formed a committee to study what stages the files are in and also the staff requirement to ensure quick disposal of cases."

In Bengaluru alone, 270 cases that were being investigated by the ACB have been transferred to the Lokayukta, and a similar exercise is under way in other districts.

“The number of complaints we are receiving after the abolition of the ACB has increased. We do not want the cases to pile up and remain unattended. So, it is important that we let the government know our requirements,” Patil said.

Apart from the ACB cases, the Lokayukta itself has close to 9,000 complaints that are yet to be investigated. “We are trying to make optimum use of the officials allotted to us. The government has also promised to fill up the existing vacancies,” Patil said.