Karnataka Lokayukta gets 12 complaints against its own staff

The Karnataka Lokayukta, the agency tasked with unearthing corruption and maladministration in government institutions, has received at least 12 complaints against its own officials, a blemish that could undermine the trust in the ombudsman.

In addition to that, there are 32 pending complaints against officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), whose abolition by the high court in August 2022 saddled the anti-graft body with a huge pile of workload.

Many of these complaints pertain to dereliction of duty and disputes in the investigation, sources in Lokayukta said. Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B S Patil said they take these cases "seriously".

"There are a few complaints against Lokayukta police officials and the ACB that allege that they have either refused to file a First Information Report (FIR) or delayed the process,” a senior official from the Karnataka Lokayukta revealed.

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In a few other cases, complainants disputed the investigations and said that officials were either biased or had not done justice to the investigation.

"We set up an internal inquiry team and investigate such cases. However, many times, people do not understand the standard procedures that have to be followed and assume that the official is not investigating the case properly,” another Lokayukta official said.

While such developments have raised concerns of a trust deficit among the public, Justice Patil said that all complaints against their officials are investigated on priority.

Pointing out the challenges, Justice Patil said in "a few complaints" the "complainant just shoots in the air without providing any details and makes allegations against an officer".

"In such cases, we cannot investigate cases completely. However, complaints against Lokayukta officials catch our attention and we ensure that they are investigated on priority,” he said.

Justice Patil added that they take preventive measures to ensure that the officers are suitable to work for the Lokayukta.

"We have a huge responsibility and we must act accordingly," he said. "Hence, right from the time of their appointment, we brief the officials on the crucial role they play and ask them to work with integrity. We are also selective in choosing the officials to be posted to Lokayukta and verify that there are no departmental inquiries or any other charges against them."

Patil added that they have been conducting training activities from time to time to ensure officials are aware of their duties.