Former judge Bhaskar Rao sworn in as Karnataka Lokayukta amidst opposition from advocates group

Bangalore: Justice Bhaskar Rao, on Thursday, took over as the Karnataka Lokayukta. Justice Rao, who is a former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, was sworn in by Karnataka Governor HR Bhardwaj.

Rao was appointed Lokayukta after his predecessor Shivaraj Patil resigned in September 2011 following allegations of illegal possession of a government site. 75-year-old Rao, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, was chief justice of the Karnataka High Court between March 1999 and June 2000.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government, headed by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, went ahead with Rao's appointment rejecting opposition to it by the Advocates Association of Bangalore (AAB). AAB president KN Subba Reddy said last week that when Rao's name was being considered by the government, Rao did not know Kannada language and there were allegations of irregularities when he was chief justice.

The group claims when Rao\'s name was being considered, he did not know Kannada and there were allegations of irregularities against him.

(With Additional Inputs From IANS)

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