Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the government would not challenge the order of the High Court of Karnataka to abolish the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while stating that the BJP had promised in its election manifesto that it would abolish the bureau which was set up by then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.
Implementing order
Mr. Bommai told reporters here that the State Cabinet, which met on August 12, had decided to implement the High Court order. “We are in the process of implementing the court order,” he said.
In response to a question on whether the government would challenge a petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking the abolition of the ACB, Mr. Bommai said, “We are sticking to the court (HC) order. The government has nothing to do with the petition filed by an individual in the Supreme Court.... Our government’s stand is clear.”
Meanwhile, speaking to presspersons, Mr. Siddaramaiah too on Tuesday said he had accepted the order of the High Court and there was no question of appealing against it.
Backdrop of case
The High Court earlier this month set aside the constitution the ACB, which was set up under the direct control of the Chief Minister in 2016. The government then had withdrawn the powers vested with the Karnataka Lokayukta police wing to probe all cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against public servants.
While declaring that the ACB stood abolished with immediate effect, the court restored the power to investigate corruption cases in the State to the Karnataka Lokayukta police wing as it existed prior to the creation of the ACB.
The court also made it clear that all the pending inquiries, investigations, and cases being prosecuted by the ACB would be transferred to the Karnataka Lokayukta police wing for further action as per the law.
