Lokayukta working to restore public faith in anti-graft watchdog

BENGALURU: Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty, who completed one year in office as Karnataka Lokayukta recently, has given priority to restoring the blemished image of Lokayukta and strengthen the quasi-judicial anti-corruption watchdog of the state. Justice Shetty, 74, took charge as Lokayukta on January 29, 2017.Justice Shetty was born on May 2, 1944, at Uppoor in Udupi. He had education in Udupi where he also completed his LLB. He is married to Shakuntala Shetty. Out of the two sons, one son is a cardiac surgeon and the other one a senior advocate. Shetty’s daughter is married and lives with her husband in UK.

He enrolled as an advocate on January 18, 1966. He worked as part time assistant professor in the then Government Law College from 1971 to 1978. He served as the chairman of the Bar Council of Karnataka in 1989-91.He was nominated as the member of the Press Council of India through Bar Council of India for 1989-1992. He was designated as senior advocate by the High Court of Karnataka in 1993. He was elevated as a judge of Karnataka HC in December 1995 and served till his retirement in May 2006.

He was also the founder-president of the Karnataka Judicial Academy. He functioned as the chairman of the HCLegal Services Committee from 2002 to 2004. He served as the executive chairman of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority from 2004 to May 2006.

High case disposal rate
Although the case disposal rate is quite high, registration of fresh cases doubled before the Lokayukta. As far as maladministrtion is considered, 2,386 public/suo motu complaints were pending and 1,095 fresh cases were filed. Among them, he disposed of 1,077 while 2,404 cases are pending.His vast experience as judge helped him prioritise problems of common man and ensure government programmes to the beneficiaries. Justice Shetty is in the habit of allowing every complainant to meet him and explain grievances. 

Justice Shetty had invited wrath of many
mangaluru:  Justice Shetty had invited the wrath of a section of activists by directing additional registrars (enquiry) to blacklist activists who were extorting money from government officials by filing frivolous complaints before the Lokayukta. He had told TNIE a week ago that he was aware that many activists across the state were involved in extortion and had threatened to file complaints against government officials. “I do not want corrupt officials collecting an additional amount as bribe from those seeking favours in order to pay such extortionists,’’ he had said.