Governor sticks to his guns on Lokayukta

MYSORE: Reitarating his stand on the appointment of the Lokayukta, Governor H R Bharadwaj said that he would not clear former Kerala High Court Justice S R Bannurmath’s name, urging the chief minister to recommend someone with integrity.Addressing the media here on Wednesday, he said that there is a need for someone with integrity to head the post, given the various cases of illegal mining and land denotification pending before the institution. “The Supreme Court has directed that an eligible person with a clean slate head the government and constitutionally-created institutions. People want someone with a  clean track record; the police investigating the cases should not get demoralised,” he said. He averred that the state should also seek opinion of former Lokayuktas while appointing a new head for the office of the ombudsman.