Upalokayukta Majage retires

Justice S B Majage on Friday demitted the office as Karnataka Upaloka-yukta, completing his tenure of five years.

On the last day at office, Justice Majage reiterated that the other Upalokayukta, Justice Subhash B Adi, had encroached upon cases that fell under his jurisdiction.

“This (encroachment of jurisdiction) was going on. In the meanwhile, in an enquiry file entrusted to me for enquiry and report, the other Upalokayukta received the file and made recommendation to drop the proceedings. I have noticed such encroachment increasing by leaps and bounds after there was wide publicity in the media about my visit to Mandur,” he said.

Justice Majage said the enquiry case pertained to misconduct against Dr Sheela Patil, a medical officer in Hubballi.

Majage said he had recently written to the Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao to take action in this regard. On corruption within Lokayukta institution, Justice Majage said fair investigation was required into the issue.

On corruption

“The one who says that corruption be eradicated from society, should be free from corruption. If we don’t practise this, we don’t have any right whatsoever to speak about it. With regard to said the allegation (corruption in Lokayukta office), there should be an independent, unbiased and impartial enquiry by the agency, whatever may be its nomenclature. I don't want to say anything more about it, except to say that it is an unfortunate situation which should not have come to this institution. But nothing is in our hand,” he said adding that his family never interfered in his work as Upalokayukta.

Justice Majage had assumed charge as Upalokayukta on July 19, 2010. Later, when Justice Shivaraj Patil resigned as Lokayukta in September 2011, barely a month after he was appointed, Justice Majage was the acting-Lokayukta for almost two years, until Justice Y Bhaskar Rao took oath as the Lokayukta in February 2013.