The Hindu

• Regrets that graft was not eliminated at the time of Independence
• Says aim of Lokayukta Act is to ensure good governance

Bangalore, Oct 18: Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde on Monday regretted that society had failed to eradicate corruption when India attained Independence. There was a possibility then of tackling corruption, but this was not done, and today corruption was not only a menace but a contagious disease.

Justice Hedge was speaking at a meeting with advocates organised by the Bangalore Advocates' Association on the Karnataka High Court premises. He said the evil of corruption had attained cancerous proportions and it was spreading fast.

He said the Lokayukta Act was presumed by people to be only an anti-corruption measure. The Lokayukta Act, he said, encompassed much broader issues, and its primary function was to ensure good governance, which included eradicating maladministration and corruption.

The Act, he said, covered only public and civil servants and not the public. Thus the Lokayukta had no powers over all people who were corrupt.

He said the Prevention of Corruption Act was not the only means to check corruption and other means should be evolved to effectively to combat the evil.

He said he had been an advocate and a judge but not an investigator. He sought to know how far the people were interested in eradicating corruption.

Amendments sought

He said he and his predecessor had asked for certain amendments to the Act and they had been conveyed to the Government.

When an advocate asked him about corruption and the inability of the Lokayukta in curbing it and his remarks against his predecessor, Mr. Hegde said he had not made any personal remarks against anybody. He said he was acting as per his reading of the Lokayukta Act.

He said the mindset of the people on corruption needed to be changed and cited a recent instance when a pressperson sought details on the assets of 11 State Government officials. The request for the information was refused, saying that it was not in public interest. He said that he had told the official who had refused to divulge the information that his stand was wrong.

He said after he assumed office, the first action he took was to put up a statement of his assets on the net. He said he had encouraged his officers to follow suit.