Lokayukta Shivaraj Patil's resignation accepted

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The resignation of Karnataka Lokayukta Shivaraj Patil, who quit following a controversy over allotment of housing sites for him and his wife allegedly violating rules, was on Tuesday accepted and the government said it will appoint a successor soon. Governor H R Bhardwaj has accepted the resignation of Patil, a former Supreme Court Judge, with effect from Tuesday, a Raj Bhavan communique said.

Chief Minister D. V. Sadananda Gowda called on Bhardwaj in the backdrop of Patil's resignation, which came barely six weeks after he assumed office as the anti-corruption watchdog.

Speaking to reporters, Gowda said the government would appoint a new Lokayukta soon and he had discussed the issue with the Governor.

Patil faced allegations of violating rules by securing allotment of a 9,600 square foot site at Judicial Employees Layout in 1994 and his wife a 4,200 sq ft site at Nagavara from the Vyalikaval Housing Cooperative Society. His wife had surrendered the site on September 14 after the issue surfaced.

Terming the allegations as a ‘malicious campaign’ against him, Patil had defended his action, saying his wife had purchased the site through ‘outright sale’ and that she was not an allottee as member of the Society.