Justice Santosh Hegde: He is like none else

Bangalore Mirror

Bangalore, 02 August 2011: Four years can hardly be termed an era, but that is the legacy Justice Santosh Hegde leaves behind not just for Karnataka, but the entire nation. U V Singh, who worked with him throughout the minesgate probe, pays tribute to Hegde, exclusively for Bangalore Mirror, on the eve of the Lokayukta’s retirement.

 

A telephone call I received in January 2007 changed everything for me. The caller was Upa-Lokayukta Justice Patri Basavana Goud. He said, “Justice (Santosh) Hegde wants to meet you.”

 

Coming in the wake of the Karnataka government’s decision to entrust the illegal mining probe to the Lokayukta, I expected the call would be related to it. It was the first time I was meeting Lokayukta Justice Santosh N Hegde. I don’t remember what exactly was running through my mind at that point of time.

 

I entered his office. He looked up at me, smiled and asked, “Will you work with me?” I said yes. The next minute, he handed me the government order pertaining to the probe and asked me to work out the logistics. He went a step ahead and told me to pick my own team. Both his actions are a rarity for someone in government service; who is hedged in by protocols and has to function within well-defined boundaries. I realised he had decided to repose faith in me and had given me functional freedom.

 

As we started working, murky happenings on the mining front started coming to light. And I started getting to know the virtues that make Justice Hegde. I had decades of experience working in administration, but I learnt a lot more in the four years I worked with Justice Hegde. Whatever be the magnitude of the task confronting him, he was cool, composed and cheerful. He never lost his focus even in the worst of the situations.

 

He is a very caring person, would be protecting his men all the time. Once I was required to visit the border area in Bellary district for the probe and told Justice Hedge about it. He said, “The situation out there is dangerous. Can you avoid it at this point?” I told him my visit was important and he agreed.

But he was concerned about my safety. So he spoke to the then DG&IGP and sought security cover for me. And I knew nothing about it till I called him on the morning I was leaving for Bellary. He told me to come to his house. I thought he would be giving me some last-minute instructions. But when his security personnel joined me, I realised he was actually giving up his own security cover for me. His character cannot be defined in a few words.

 

When it came to execution, Justice Hegde gave me full freedom. In our service, we get directions from the top about the dos and the don’ts. 

 

But in the four years I worked with him, the Lokayukta never did that with me. He never interfered, but he always monitored. A proof of this was the late-night raid we conducted at Holalkere in Chitradurga. From the time we left the Lokayukta headquarters at 8 pm till we reached the spot at 1 am, Justice Hegde was continuously monitoring the situation by being in touch with the team-members. It was only after we finished the operation at 2.30 am and conveyed the news to him did he say, “Good job, now I will go to sleep.” May a time in these four years I landed up at his house late in the night to discuss probe-related issues, and not once did I come away without drinking a cup of coffee.

 

But there were moments when he felt perturbed. When the first report on illegal mining came out, he was dejected with the state government for its inaction. When the government decided to transfer DCF Gokul, who was working for us, he decided to resign. It showed to us that he would go to any length to save his men; it made us respect him more. Most importantly, it gave us courage that we need not worry about anything. He is there to protect us.

 

There were times when we were at cross-roads, but he kept telling us that what we were doing is right. Once I told him that there were some Lokayukta officials involved in the mining scam. His reaction was, “Why are you waiting? Go ahead and mention their names in the report.”

UV Singh

Justice Hegde is retiring. I do not know what to say. He was a great pillar of strength for our family members when we were putting ourselves at risk probing the mining scam. We used to tell our loved ones that if anything happened to us, he would be there to take care of them. The man who backed us to the hilt is going away. Our families are worried about our security. But I have no fear as I was part of a team which carried out investigations objectively.

 

Justice Hegde wanted to resign in 2007....

 

Dissuaded against quitting:

It has now emerged that Justice Santosh Hegde wanted to resign six months after taking charge as Lokayukta on August 3, 2006. However, then Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi persuaded him not to take any hasty decision. Chaturvedi reportedly told him, “You are already in the battlefield. Do not escape from here.”

 

Govt’s ‘non-cooperation’:

Hegde did resign on June 23, 2010, citing non-cooperation of the state government. He was miffed by the BJP state government’s apathy to his demand for suo motu powers to take action against public servants. Then CM B S Yeddyurappa came under immense pressure from the general public for not fulfilling Hegde’s “reasonable demands”. People in the state demanded that he withdraw his resignation.

 

Resignation withdrawn:

On August 1, 2010, Hegde withdrew his resignation after BJP national leader L K Advani intervened in the matter and assured the government would take necessary steps to strengthen Lokayukta institution in the state.

 

Advani a ‘father-like figure’:

Lokayukta openly said the intervention of L K Advani, “a father-like figure”, forced him to reconsider his decision. The government later amended the Lokayukta Act to empower him to take suo motu action against public servants. However, the Act left out MLAs, MLCs, political appointees, ministers and the CM from the list of public servants.

 

 

Date of Birth: 16 June 1940

Place of Birth: Nitte village, Karkala taluk of Udupi district

Parents: Justice K S Hegde and Meenakshi Hegde

Education: St Aloysius School, Mangalore, Madras Christian College, Chennai, Government Law College, Bangalore

 

 

Career:

» Enrolled in Bar Council in 1966

» From 1984 to 1988 served as Advocate General

» Appointed as Additional Solicitor General of India in 1989

» Appointed Additional Solicitor General of India again in 1998

» Appointed as Supreme Court Judge in 1999

» Conferred honorary degree by Mangalore University in 2005

» Retired as Supreme Court Judge in 2005

» Appointed as Chairperson, Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal in 2005

» Appointed as Lok Ayukta by Karnataka government in 2006