High court dismisses govt’s late appeal for Lokayukta enquiry

Karnataka high court on Monday dismissed an appeal of the state government because the government took more than a year to file the appeal.

The government’s appeal had challenged a ruling of the single-judge bench wherein an order to conduct Lokayukta inquiry against former engineers of the city corporation was quashed. Lokayukta report, dated April 4, 2002, had sanctioned probe against Muniyappa and Kondaiah, former executive engineers of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

When the two were working with the BBMP, the standing committee had held them guilty of committing irregularities in civil works they had executed. Consequently, they were suspended. The BBMP had, in February 1999, sent a report to the government, recommending that the matter be referred to Lokayukta for investigation. The Lokayukta report in 2002 sanctioned the investigation.

The accused had challenged the sanctioning of Lokayukta probe in the court. The single-judge bench had quashed the Lokayukta report and the state government challenged the quashing.

The government’s appeal came up for hearing before the division bench headed by Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen on Monday. The division bench observed that the government took 376 days to file the appeal. Citing the government’s lackadaisical attitude, the bench dismissed the appeal on the grounds of delay.