The day the Lokayukta had nothing to do

If I had known this a little earlier,I could have scheduled some meetings with my officers to complete unfinished work such as the final report on illegal mining in Karnataka,

The Civil society boycott of the June 6 meeting of the joint Lokpal Bill drafting committee following the forcible eviction of yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his followers from the Ramlila grounds in Delhi meant that Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde,who is a member of the committee,was left with nothing to do at his office that day. If I had known this a little earlier,I could have scheduled some meetings with my officers to complete unfinished work such as the final report on illegal mining in Karnataka, Justice Hegde said. The former Supreme Court judge said that his final report on illegal mining would be ready by the last week of June. Justice Hegde is scheduled to retire by the end of August.

Tussle for nightlife control

Nightlife in Bangalore is buzzing again,if you ignore the 11:30 pm Cinderella hour enforced by the police. After a period when live music was virtually banned in the guise of cracking down on bars with dancing girls,musicians are again finding multiple outlets to showcase their talent. Bars with dancing girls are back in a small way. Trouble is,however,brewing in the form of a turf war over control of the nightlife business between the police,who issue licences for live entertainment,and the Excise Ministry,which issues licences to establishments to serve liquor and regulates their working rules. According to Police Commissioner Jyotiprakash Mirji,the police will soon crack down on bars where women are employed,following complaints of them violating licensing norms. Excise Minister Renukacharya has warned the police against infringing on bars employing women since the working rules are dictated by the Excise department.

Police transfers: Board vs govt

Despite the setting up of the police establishment board in the state on the directions of the Supreme Court,the police have not been able to overcome the political pulls and pressures of the transfer and appointment seasons. The state government transferred 73 DySPs recently. Many powerful DySPs are said to have,however,used the good offices of senior ministers to remain in plum executive jurisdictions. State DGP S T Ramesh said that 83 per cent of the transfers were from the executive to non-executive positions,as demanded by the rotation policy of the police establishment board.

Scientist in massage parlour

A senior scientist working at a defence research unit was found in a massage parlour in an upmarket apartment in Bangalore in the course of a police swoop on the parlour,following complaints of the operation of a sex racket there. Since the incident,where everyone present at the massage parlour was arrested,scientist Mohan Rao has been transferred out of his position as the director of the DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment to the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification. The transfer followed an investigation into the incident by the Defence authorities. The scientist has told the police that he had only dropped in to enquire about a massage for his ailing wife.