Bengaluru: Former Karnataka High Court judge Justice P. Vishwanath Shetty was on Saturday sworn in as the state’s new Lokayukta, the anti-corruption watchdog, by Governor Vajubhai R. Vala here.
The ombudsman’s post was lying vacant for over a year ever since Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao resigned in December 2015 following nepotism charges against him for allegedly allowing his son Y. Ashwin Rao run an extortion racket in the institution.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a few of his Cabinet colleagues, High Court judges and senior officials were present at the simple oath-taking ceremony at the Raj Bhavan here.
A native of Udupi district on the state’s west coast, Shetty was judge in the High Court for over a decade and retired in 2006. He also served as Chairman of the Bar Council of India when he was a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court in New Delhi.
