Karnataka’s hunt for a new Lokayukta just got more difficult after Justice Bellur Narayanaswamy Sri-krishna, who topped the list of nominees for the post of the state’s top ombudsman, turned down the offer.
It is reliably learnt that Justice Srikrishna, a noted jurist and retired judge of the Supreme Court, has reportedly refused the government’s offer to become the Lokayukta.
Karnataka chief minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda was keen on nominating Justice Srikrishna’s name for the Lokayukta after Justice S.R. Bannurmath withdrew his name for the post on Monday. According to sources, the government will now appoint a retired Supreme Court judge from outside the State to the Lokayukta as almost all former judges and chief justices from Karnataka have housing plots in the controversial Judicial Layout.
“The government may however, still pursue Justice Srikrishna,” said the source.
Justice Srikrishna was born in Bengaluru but lives in Mumbai.
He headed the well-known Srikrishna Commissions of Inquiry in the 1992-93 Mumbai riots and more recently on the Telangana issue.
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Kerala not keen on food bill, says debt will grow
Thufail P.T.
New Delhi, Feb. 8
Even as the Centre is gearing up to pass the National Food Security Bill in Parliament, food minister K.V. Thomas’ home state and the Congress-ruled Kerala has waved the red flag. Kerala has expressed a “serious concern” that a large number of people may be out of the purview of the food bill even as the state governments’ financial burden to implement the law will increase many folds.
At the state food and agricultural ministers’ meet on Wednesday, Kerala food minister Shibu Baby John sought to relieve the state government of the scheme’s additional cost burden of `600 crores. He also raised the issue that the proposed act would keep 1.23 crore people out of the purview of the PDS in Kerala, where currently 95 per cent population are covered under the PDS through 77 lakh ration cards.
Mr John, later speaking to this newspaper, clarified that he “welcomed the concept” of the Food Security Bill and that the “tone” of his opposition to the current bill was different from that of the Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, who has “vehemently opposed” the bill. However, Mr John agreed that Tamil Nadu and Kerala have the same concerns over certain clauses of the bill that are against the interests of the states.
Earlier, the bill had faced criticism from chief ministers like Nitish Kumar, Mayawatiand Mamata Banerjee, apart from the objections raised by the Congress-ruled Delhi government. Mr John explained that Kerala has a peculiar socio-economic condition, which is different from that of any other part of the country.