The hottest speaker on the school and college graduation-day circuit in Bangalore is neither a cricket idol nor a film star,neither a high-ranking politician nor a corporate mogul. Nitte Santosh Hegde is a tough-talking,no-nonsense 70-year old hero-worshipped by a generation of students.
Hegde,a former Supreme Court judge,is Karnatakas Lokayukta,the anti-corruption ombudsman. But setting him apart from his counterparts in some other states is Hegdes crusader-like drive against corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.
By the innovative use of button cameras and phenolphthalein (invisible ink used to powder currency notes in a trap),Hegde has rattled the political and administrative establishment. His raid teams exploits were the stuff of headlines.
Hegde has become part of the committee drafting the Jan Lokpal Bill,as his five-year tenure as Karnatakas Lokayukta nears its end. With just over two months to go,the countdown for his exit has made anti-corruption supporters and student activists gloomy. There is the dawning realisation that a replacement of Hegdes calibre will be hard to find.
Newspapers and television channels have followed his raid teams as they swoop down on wads of currency notes hidden inside mattresses,roomfuls of money stashed away in suitcases,gold jewellery and silver by the kilograms,palatial bungalows and fancy cars in the possession of government officials with wealth wildly disproportionate to their legal income.
Among those probed by the Lokayukta have been influential politicians of the ruling and opposition parties,including the infamous ministerial trio,the Reddy brothers. Hegdes investigation into an industrial land scam led to the arrest of the son of Karnatakas industries minister,Katte Subramanya Naidu,caught red-handed attempting to bribe a scam witness. Predictably,courts have stayed the Lokayukta investigation into the industrial land scam and a probe into the chief ministers assets.
About 3.5 million tons of illegal iron ore was tracked and seized by the Lokayukta team just as it was being readied to be exported out of the Belekeri port. Following the seizure,the Karnataka High Court refused to permit its export without the requisite paperwork. Caught on the back foot,chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa for the first time admitted that illegal mining is at epic levels in Karnataka.
Despite the blitz-like raids and the seemingly-clinching evidence,the Lokayukta has no binding powers to punish anybody. So,while many corrupt officers blatantly carry on,even those raided flourish because of the Lokayuktas inability to initiate prosecution without prior sanction from the government.
But that has hardly deterred Justice Hegde and his team,who continue to push on with fighting sleaze by acting on anonymous tip-offs and grievances. The raids shot up from about 35 a year during the previous Lokayuktas term to over 100 annually now. The number of traps laid tripled during Hegdes term; only about 100 were laid earlier.
The limiting part of his job,Justice Hegde said in a conversation,is that it is not mandatory for the government to accept his recommendations to prosecute corrupt officials. The wheels turn so slowly that it often takes six months or more to get government sanction to prosecute an official after he has been caught through a trap. When civilians have no such protection why should government officers be treated so leniently, he asks. Even when the sanction comes through,the law typically takes a winding 15-year course before a final judgment.
As he prepares to take his bow,Justice Hegde has many people asking him if he is seeking an extension to his term. Would he consider a career in politics? The answer to both questions has been a vehement negative from the Lokayukta.
But there is one thing he does intend to do. Release what is been widely anticipated as an explosive concluding report on illegal mining. This time,Justice Hegde promises,the roles of big-name politicians and bureaucrats will be detailed. In keeping with his swashbuckling image,Hegde wants to go out with a bang.
saritha.rai@expressindia.com
