Amended Bill to remove Lokayukta passed in Assembly, awaits Council nod

  The state legislature on Thursday tabled the Karnataka Lokayukta Amendment Bill, 2015, in the assembly and after a lengthy debate, the Bill was passed with change in provisions to appoint and remove the Lokayukta. According to a report in The Times of India, the procedure has been simplified and the amendment will pave way for Lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao’s removal whose son is alleged to be involved in the extortion racket in Lokayukta. Section 6 of the Bill which deals with the removal of Lokayukta has been amended to state that a Lokayukta can be ousted if a motion is passed with a two-third majority of the members present in the session. Opposition leader Jagadish Shettar criticised the state government’s earlier amendment which said only a simple majority would be required to remove the Lokayukta. "The clause will make the Lokayukta function at the mercy of the ruling party. It also gives scope for misuse," he was quoted as saying by the paper. The bill which was passed in the Assembly, will be tabled in the Council on Friday. If the Bill is passed, it will be sent to Governor Vajubhai Vala for his assent. A special session is likely to be convened where a motion would be introduced to oust Bhaskar Rao, after BBMP polls, the report said. In terms of appointment, the 1984 Act mandated that a judge of the Supreme Court or a retired Chief Justice of High Court was eligible to the post of Lokayukta. The new Bill mentions that a judge who has served not less than 10 years is eligible to the post of Lokayukta, while a judge who been in office for not less than five years as high court judge, can be appointed as the Upa Lokayukta, the report said.