JUSTICE DONE! SANTOSH HEGDE’S FAREWELL, MINING SCAM A FEATHER IN HIS CAP!

Firoz.T.Totanawala

The Bangalore Metro Reporter

15th AUGUST 2011 ISSUE-

                                                JUSTICE DONE!

SANTOSH HEGDE’S FAREWELL, MINING SCAM A FEATHER IN HIS CAP!

The Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde completed his term in office and has retired. When he took over as the Lokayukta in 2006, he gave a clear indication that he will function within the rules of the game and not lead raids etc like his predecessor. This disappointed the people at large as they thought that Santosh Hegde will not be a success as Lokayukta as they were used to previous Lokayukta raiding Government offices amidst much publicity and conducting spot enquiries of the ‘raid victims’ before the glare of the video cameras etc. In fact, people enjoyed such scenes because of their helplessness to fight corruption and corrupt officials.

But very soon, Santosh Hegde took the command and started his own style of functioning with the unadulterated backing of Upa Lokayukta Patri Basavana Gowda. He strengthened the Lokayukta office by replacing some corrupt officials with some worthy men. While all these years, people were used to Lokayukta nabbing only petty officials and not even going near to big fishes, Santosh Hegde was much more serious in his job. People got the shock of their life as he raided many IAS-IPS-IFS-KAS officers and unearthed their huge wealth and possession.   

He dared not to even spare the politicians in power. People were shocked out of their wits, when he ‘trapped’ an MLA in the Legislature’s Home while accepting a bribe. People thus started respecting him for his different style of functioning. His plain talk, exposures and catching ‘big fish’, holding grievances meet, helping out people in distress who cry for help et al endeavoured himself with the public at large.

Besides, Santosh Hegde also made all out efforts at educating people especially school and college students about the need to fight the cancer of corruption. He was successful at least to have instilled a fear against corruption. He was a hit with students’ community as a whole and was the darling of both electronic and print media.

However, while he became an ‘idol’ to the common people, the same can not be said about the disposal of complaints lodged against corrupt officials. Thousands of complaints with Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta still remain pending. More than the sound and fury, it is the disposal of the complaints that reflects the functioning of the Lokayukta and as such, there is no mechanism in the Lokayukta for quick disposal of the complaints against officials and politicians in power.

In his five year term, Santosh Hegde was entrusted with many high profile scams. Except the KIADB scam where former Industries Minister Katta Subramanya stands accused today, there are no other cases which have seen the light of the day. The probe into the famous mining scam was also started in 2006 and after almost five years, it was finally prepared and submitted. The relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims where the Lokayukta had pressed its own probe team is already forgotten and so is the BPL card issue. There are scores of such scams taken up by the Lokayukta which have been washed away. It appears that the ‘Mine Scam’ was the only big scam taken up by Santosh Hegde in all its seriousness and in all other probes; Santosh Hegde has become a sort of failure.

Of course, due credit should be given to Santosh Hegde who faced criticism sportingly. Even though he could slap contempt notices to anybody who criticised Lokayukta, he did not do so even once, unlike Venkatachala who used to slap contempt notices against anybody who dared to question him and his actions. In this respect Santosh Hegde stands head and shoulders above Venkatachala.

Unfortunately, some leaders took it as his weakness but he still tightened the screws of some bigwigs. When AICC General Secretary and Former MP Chief Minister Digvijay Singh made caustic remarks against Santosh Hegde, he was made to tender unconditional public apology to Santosh Hegde within 24 hours. Similarly the then Law Minister Veerappa Moily took exception to his style of functioning and offered his profuse apologies to Santosh Hegde the very next day.

Apparently, the cherry on the cake was his voluminous report on the Mining scam which shook the first ever BJP Government in South. The Chief Minister B.S.Yeddyurappa had to lose his priced possession of the CM chair and about 800 officials who were named in the report wait to face serious consequences over their role in the mining scam.

To conclude, on can say that Santosh Hegde has left the office of the Lokayukta carrying with him the wishes of lakhs of people who have hailed him as a ‘Daniel, coming to Judgement’. And that is all.