Bangalore, April 22: Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde today said he will not take any hasty decision about joining the Jan Lokpal Draft Committee.
His clarification came in the wake of hundreds of anti-corruption activists assembling in front of his house and appealing to him not to resign but to accept the post to fight against corruption.
Expressing anguish over the ‘smear campaign’ taken up by some political leaders, Justice Hegde yesterday said that he might reconsider his decision to join the Jan Lokpal Draft Committee.
He said he would be leaving for Delhi tomorrow and discuss the situation prevailing and take a final decision soon.” I won’t take any decision in haste. First I will discuss with my colleagues in the committee and then decide whether to be in the panel or not.”
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) State President H D Kumaraswamy appealed to Justice Hegde not to resign since people like him could encourage people to fight against corruption.
Justice Hegde’s reaction came in the wake of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh questioning the locus standi and Justice Hegde’s commitment to fight corruption.
He had also asked how much Mr Hegde had become Lokayukta of Karnataka and what action he had initiated against ‘corrupt’ Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
–Agencies