Now, Karnataka Governor seeks details of prosecution sanction given by Congress Government against officials facing corruption charges

Governor Gehlot seeks details of prosecution sanctions against corrupt officials, intensifying conflict with Congress-led Karnataka Government.

 In the ongoing tiff between the Congress Government led by Siddaramaiah and the Raj Bhavan, the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has fired another salvo against the State Government by seeking details of prosecution sanction given by State Government against officials facing corruption charges since May 2023.

In a communique to the Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh on September 5, the Governor sought to know prosecution sanction given by the State Government based on the request of the Lokayukta that is probing charges of corruption against the officials.

He has also given a format to the chief secretary to provide details of cases that have come before the Government after May 20, 2023 when the Congress Government was formed. He has sought details of the cabinet recommendation, date of submission, decision taken by the cabinet, nature of punishment if accepted and reasons for rejection, if rejected.

Based on the Governor’s letter, the vigilance cell in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms on September 10 has asked all department heads to furnish details of the Lokayuktha’s request for sanction for prosecution ‘urgently’. The departments have been given a week’s time to provide details., which will end this week.

Governor’s move is being seen as another strategy to corner the Congress Government, which had asked the prosecution sanction status against the Opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) leaders including Union Minister for Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy, former Ministers and BJP leaders G. Janardhan Reddy, Shashikala Jolle and Murugesh Nirani that were pending before the Governor. The Cabinet decision and later Congress protest had followed the earlier sanction for prosecution given by the Governor against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is facing charges in the alleged irregularities in distribution of sites in Mysure Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in which his wife Parvathi is a beneficiary.

Since then, the Government is on a war path with the Governor, accusing him of acting on the behest of the Centre to destabilise the democratically elected Congress Government in State. The tiff also accentuated with the Governor sending back 11 bills passed by the State Legislature with queries. Three of the 11 bills have received Governor’s assent after Government sent clarification.

“During the perusal of the Cabinet decision taken by the State Government, I observed in some of the Lokayuktha cases in which sanction of various officers of the State Government. I also observed that in some cases State Government has rejected the proposal of the Lokayuktha and in a few cases has given sanction. Further, in a few with a warning cases have been rejected,” he said in his letter to the Chief Secretary. Further, he said: “In this regard, I desire to know the details of these cases and also to know on what basis the decision has been taken in these cases. Hence, it is instructed to submit the details of the proposals received from the Karnataka Lokayuktha for want of sanction against officials of the State Government in the attached form from May 20,2023 to till date.”