‘Powerless’ Lokayukta writes to Governor

In 2011,the Lokayukta had recommended prosecution of three ministers,none of them have been prosecuted till now although the UP government’s Vigilance Establishment,which is investigating these cases after the state government’s order,has lodged FIRs against them.

Unhappy at the delay in prosecution of former ministers,the Lokayukta has complained about the issue in his annual report for 2012 submitted to Governor BL Joshi on Wednesday.

“During previous years,the Lokayukta sent recommendations to competent authorities against several public servants occupying high offices for their involvement in corruption,but no expected results have come out in the last one year from the investigating agencies which were given the task of probing these cases for prosecution. This makes the common citizen think that no results have come out of the Lokayukta’s inquiry,” Mehrotra said in his report.

The report says that the Lokayukta does not have a right of prosecution. It has the limited jurisdiction only to send reports to competent authorities after collecting evidence.

The Lokayukta has suggested that if the government accepts the recommendation of prosecuting a corrupt public servant,an investigation agency should be specified for these cases to complete the process of prosecution within a defined time-limit.

“Because of long pending investigation processes,on one side the involved public servant goes through mental agony while on the other end the recommendations of Lokayukta do not reach up to final result,” the report says.

Mehrotra has also criticised the government for not acting to strengthen the institution of Lokayukta. For long,Lokayukta has been raising the demands of getting the Chief Minister under its purview,making his reports binding on the government to take action,a separate investigation wing under the Lokayukta and power to take suo motu cognisance of the acts of corruption.

“No special action appears to have been taken to strengthen anti-corruption institutions in order to establish good administration,” he stated in the report.

Mehrotra added that he hoped the incumbent government will take strong and legal action to strengthen the institution of Lokayukta in UP after soon conducting a study of the working and rights of Lokayuktas in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Because of the delay in prosecution by the investigating agencies,Lokayukta,in his latest report against former minister Ram Achal Rajbhar,had recommended that an FIR be lodged against him under Prevention of Corruption Act on the basis of his report. However,the government has sent a letter to Lokayukta saying it had given the inquiry to Vigilance Establishment without specifying if it had ordered the lodging of an FIR.

Mehrotra said there is no use of conducting another inquiry by Vigilance Establishment after his inquiry.

Those under scanner

After the Lokayukta’s indictment,Vigilance Establishment is investigating the charges against former ministers namely Ramveer Upadhyay,Naseemuddin Siddiqui,Badshah Singh,Rangnath Mishra,Awadhpal Singh Yadav,Babu Singh Kushwaha,Ayodhya Prasad Pal and Ram Achal Rajbhar. Only in three of the cases — those against Yadav,Mishra and Badshah Singh — FIRs have been lodged.