Bhardwaj nod for action against BSY

The Lokayukta may take further necessary action through the Lokayukta police the note said,indicating clearance for filing of an FIR by the Lokayukta police.

A day after outgoing Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa filed a plea in the High Court against his indictment in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining,Governor H R Bhardwaj on Wednesday cleared the prosecution of Yeddyurappa for criminal misconduct,as recommended by the Lokayukta report.

The Governor,who is the competent authority under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act to clear the prosecution of the chief minister,has accepted the findings and recommendation of the Lokayukta in Chapter 22 of the report for initiating criminal proceedings against Shri B S Yeddyurappa,Chief Minister of Karnataka, said a communique issued by the Raj Bhavan.

The Lokayukta may take further necessary action through the Lokayukta police the note said,indicating clearance for filing of an FIR by the Lokayukta police. The Lokayuktas report had suggested the receipt of kickbacks by members of Yeddyurappas family from steel major JSW Steel Ltd in return for official favors by the government.

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Meanwhile former Supreme Court judge Justice Shivaraj Patil,who was sworn in on Wednesday as the new Lokayukta of Karnataka,said he was yet to read his predecessors report on illegal mining or study the Governors permission to proceed further in the matter.

The communique sent by the Governor has not been placed before me. Once it is placed,I will examine it and take appropriate action as per the Lokayukta Act, he said.

The report submitted by the Lokayukta is long and stupendous. I have not yet read the report,unless I study the report in detail,I cannot comment on it, he said.

Justice Patil said he would like to send out the message that corruption will not be tolerated.

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I will endeavor to see that culprits are brought to book at the earliest. The good work done by the previous Lokayukta will be carried forward and we will add to it, the Lokayukta,Justice Patil said.