Former judge Y Bhaskar Rao appointed Karnataka Lokayukta

Bangalore: Karnataka government on Wednesday appointed former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice (retd) Y Bhaskar Rao as the Lokayukta, a post lying vacant since September 2011. Rao succeeds Justice (Retd) Shivaraj Patil who resigned from the post of Lokayukta in September 2011 following an allegation that he illegally possessed a government site despite owning a house in Bangalore.

The post of Lokayukta had been lying vacant since then. Rao also served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission. His appointment was opposed by the Advocates Association of Bangalore (AAB).

AAB President KN Subba Reddy had recently alleged that Rao, from Andhra Pradesh, was not conversant in Kannada and also that he was involved in several irregularities during his tenure as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

The post of the state Lokayukta has been lying vacant since September 2011.

The 75-year-old Bhaskar Rao will be sworn in by Governor HR Bhardwaj on Thursday.

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