Lokayukta crippled with 289 vacancies against 1,097 sanctioned posts

BENGALURU: The Lokayukta, the anti-corruption watchdog, has 289 vacancies against 1,097 sanctioned posts, including those in police, judicial, administrative, secretarial and technical departments.

Only one police sub-inspector is working for the Lokayukta, with 11 posts vacant in this rank, Justice Y Bhaskar Rao said on Tuesday. "The institution is handicapped with so many posts vacant," Rao said. He said there are 88 cases seeking prosecution.

Meanwhile, Nagarajappa, a first-division assistant working in the office of the BBMP's Arakere sub-division assistant revenue officer, was caught redhanded by the Lokayukta police while taking `6,000 as bribe to transfer a khata.

Complainant Prakash Saraf, who purchased an apa rtment at Mantri Elite on Banner ghatta road, had ap plied for the change of khata to his name. Not willing to pay bribe, he filed a complaint with the Lokayukta police, and a trap had been laid.