MARGAO, MARCH 3
Former Chief Justice and Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has said that Goa would be far better than what it is today if the people get a powerful, honest and fearless person as Goa Lokayukta.
“I am very, very sorry that Goa has no Lokayukta in place. A Lokayukta has been functioning in Karnataka since 1984. We have asked for certain procedural powers to suo moto prosecute senior officials without anybody’s sanction. Every minister has promised, but no one has given them”, he said while delivering a lecture on “Indian Democracy” as part of Late Adv M P Shinkre lecture at the Govind Ramnath Kare college of law, Margao on Thursday.
Justice Hegde said that education has not brought honesty with it, saying there is probably something wrong the present system of education. ‘Questions are being raised whether the present mess in the country is because of illiterate people or the educated class elected to the Assembly. Take the case of the scams. In the 2-G scam, the Minister who took the decision was not illiterate. He had a law degree. The man who was responsible for the CWG scam was in the Air Force. Take any scam, or any other thing, which is today democratically unacceptable, the man behind is an educated person”, he lamented.
Narrating his four and half years experience as Karnataka Lokayukta, Justice Hegde said the biggest culprit today is the society itself, with society accepting wealth as the only yardstick of success.
Lamenting over the deterioration of the moral values in society, Justice Hegde said that youth can change the values in society to bring the much needed change. “You have to change the thinking of society, try and understand the true meaning of satisfaction, contentment”, he said, and appealed to the young student to develop an attitude of enjoying wealth that is purely within the legitimate means.
He said the youth can also bring about a change by participating in the voting process. “Today, the people who really want to serve the society and who does not have to depend on the elected office for his food are no more contesting polls. They can’s contest against those who are investing in elections. It is sad that we have allowed politics to become a profession today”, he said and asserted that the people should demand a change in law to demand the right to recall an elected person.
Justice Hegde further said “in politics today, one cannot take a decision which is consciously accepted by you. The Prime Minister admitted that in coalition dharma, you have to make adjustments”.
On the various scams and the reactions of the political parties, Justice Hegde said “in the present democratic system, it seems the only defense they have is “have you also not done it. There is no defense that I have not done it. This seems to be a new criminal Jurisprudence in existence”.
Asserting that the Constitution has not contemplated a political executive, but an independent executive, Justice Hegde said “the executive has to follow the directions or policies made by Parliament, beyond that no Minister or MLA can have his say”.
Referring to scams surfacing in the Judiciary, Justice Hegde said “we were saying the Legislature is bad, the Executive is bad and that the Judiciary will protect us. But, I think we put a false façade. The scams were all swept under the carpet, but the carpets have now burst with the scams coming out in the open”.
