Ex-Lokayukta dropped Bhatt's name from the case: Activist

 Subsequent to the Lokayukta report to the governor's office on the status of complaints against BDA Commissioner T Sham Bhatt, a social activist has written to the Lokayukta registrar stating that former Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao had recalled his report and dropped the IAS officer’s name from the case.

Section 12(3) of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act deals with recommending action against the errant public servants.

The Lokayukta registrar's communication to the Raj Bhavan had stated that along with the 12 (3) report in one of the cases, a special report was also sent to Governor Vajubhai Vala under Section 12 (5) of the Lokayukta Act when there was no communication from the government on the action taken.
Saidatta, a social activist, in his letter stated that after sending the 12 (3) report in the complaint (404/2010) pertaining to irregularities in allotment of land by Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), the then Lokayukta Justice Rao recalled it and sent a revised report in December 2014, dropping the name of Sham Bhatt.

Revised report

Saidatta has furnished the copy of the revised report along with his letter. He stated that after accepting the reply by Sham Bhatt in March 2014, the first report sent in April 2014 was recalled and a revised report was sent on December 26, 2014.

“It is shocking that the revised report is not available in the Lokayukta as per the reports. It is very important especially when the institution of Lokayukta is going through the crisis without a Lokayukta that every official act with utmost responsibility to save the reputation of the institution,'' Saidatta has stated.

No communication

Meanwhile, sources said that the state government has rejected the other 12 (3) report from the Lokayukta. It is learnt that the Cabinet had dropped the charges through an order on March 2, 2016 against Sham Bhatt and another senior official named in the 12(3) report. However, Lokayukta office has not been communicated about government rejecting the 12(3) report, an official said.

The Raj Bhavan office had sought a report from the Lokayukta on the complaints against Bhatt in the wake of state government recommending his name as the member of Karnataka State Public Service Commission (KPSC). The Lokayukta office had sent the report stating that there were 18 complaints under Lokayukta Act were pending.