Empower people to take up corruption cases: Justice Santosh Hegde….Soma Banerjee
Justice Santosh Hegde , Karnataka’s Lokayukta for the past five years, may have weathered many a battle against corruption, but when it comes to doctors and injections, he is like a child. “You know, the doctor always tells me how it is so easy to push an injection into me. I have such thin skin. I am also very thin-skinned and sensitive when it comes to issues like personal integrity. We are not politicians, and we are not doing any of this for profit. It is not easy to accept such allegations and charges.”
Congress leader Digvijay Singh had recently criticised Karnataka’s Lokayukta for its poor track record. But Justice Hedge, who wears his integrity on his sleeve, says almost in indignation, “it is one thing to make charges in cases, but I will not accept any allegations that question my integrity.” Justice Hegde made headlines for his war against Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s illegal land grabs.
He is now a civil society representative and a member of the drafting committee for the Lokpal Bill. The Bill is expected to be finalised soon and introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament. The National Advisory Council , under UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi , too has been asked to give its inputs for the anti-corruption Bill. Media glare is not something new for Justice Hegde. Having been one of the leading judges of the Supreme Court, he believes this could be the turning point for the Lokpal Bill that has been in the works for over four decades.
Citing Rajiv Gandhi’s oft-quoted remark on how only 15 paise of every rupee spent by the government reaches the beneficiary, Hegde says, “The scale of corruption has gone up exponentially. Take the budget of Karnataka, which proposes a huge spend. Just a minuscule part of this finally reaches the beneficiary.” The Jan Lokpal Bill has tried to look at all these aspects and it could go a long way in curbing the menace of corruption. The draft bill seeks the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body to investigate into corruption cases.
It also seeks to empower the body to prosecute politicians and civil servants without government permission. Reacting to allegations made against the Bhushans (eminent “activist” lawyers Shanti and Prashant Bhushan, who are also members of the drafting panel), Hedge says this was an attempt to malign the members and derail the anti-corruption movement. “Where were all these people when the Bill was being drafted?” he asks. The government’s version of the Lokpal Bill would have failed to achieve any of the objectives. “The Jan Lokpal Bill has deliberated on most of the possible areas and tried to make each one answerable and accountable,” he says.
However, Justice Hegde is clear that democracy and its institutions need to be honoured. “It is for the lawmakers to finally decide the shape and colour of the Bill. We hope they would give it due consideration,” he says. But he is not one to mince words when he speaks on how the parliamentary system has been denigrated: “On December 23, 2008, the Lok Sabha passed 17 bills in just 12 minutes, one amongst them being a Constitutional Amendment Bill. Is this what the Parliament does as a legislative body?” Commenting on the smear campaign, he says it is almost as if Delhi has a library of “seedy CDs” which are being released on a daily basis. “After being a Supreme Court judge and now a Lokayukta they would have found that I do not even have money in five zeroes. I have to make a private visit for the meetings and stay at Karnataka Bhavan because I cannot afford to stay at big hotels. I did not take up this job for political mileage,” he says.
Giving examples of how he has done the job of putting the Lokayukta in place in Karnataka, he says that though politicians and national leaders may not know of his work or the office, people in Karnataka are aware and have achieved a degree of confidence. Justice Hegde’s work against illegal mining in the state has left him with enemies in powerful positions. A report submitted by him shows that private mining companies earned Rs 5,000 per tonne, even as the state earned a mere Rs 27 per tonne (the earlier rate, now 10% ad valorem) as royalty on iron ore.
Moreover, a large amount of the ore mined was being transported out illegally on which the state earns no royalty. And this is just one of the cases that Hegde has initiated. “Corruption is a disease that knows no colour or caste and people have to be empowered to take up cases against corruption,” he says. The right to information has empowered the common man and the Lokayukta at the state level could help reinforce faith in the system.