Lokayukta faces staff crunch as graft cases piling up

Bengaluru: After the abolition of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), all the cases have officially come to the court of the Lokayukta. However, the Lokayukta does not have the staff capacity to handle so many cases.

Lokayukta Justice B S Patil has written to the government to transfer the officers from ACB to Lokayukta Police Division but no response has been received so far. On the other hand, ACB officials are also sitting without work for a month.

Over 340 serious raid cases which were under investigation have been transferred to Lokayukta, and it is a big headache for Lokayukta police to investigate more than 340 cases related to illegal assets (disproportionate assets) transferred from ACB using the 400 personnel currently working. There are rumours that the longer the investigation is delayed, the more likely evidence is to be destroyed.

After the cancellation of ACB, Lokayukta has started receiving at least 8 to 10 complaints every day. All the complaints are scrutinized and the processes of registering FIR are going on. There are 139 vacancies in the police department. Around 99 posts of constables who work on the front line during raids have not been filled for many years.

Meanwhile, the Lokayukta police are now gearing up to raid the corrupt once again as they have been empowered to raid after the abolition of the ACB.

A total of 310 police personnel including 1 ADGP, 9 SP, 35 DySP, 74 inspectors, PSI, ASI, constable were working here in the anti-corruption division. After the cancellation of ACB, they are sitting without work and waiting for further orders from the government without any clarity on where to operate. All the staff are not coming to the office.

For the purpose of effective investigation and to strengthen the Lokayukta Police Department, more personnel should be recruited. This issue has been brought to the attention of the government and it has been informed through the letter that the government will take action as soon as possible. It has been assured that three SPs have been deployed, said BS Patil, Lokayukta