Bangalore, Feb 11 (PTI) Hitting hard at the state government for "violating" the Lokayukta Act while appointing Justice Chandrashekaraiah as a Upa Lokayukta, Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj today said the government was "deliberately interpreting the law wrongly". "The government does not have proper legal guidance. There has to be an effective consultation process which the government is not following," he told reporters here. The Supreme Court had clearly laid out that any approval of statutory authority was not only in consultation between the Chief Minister and the Governor but also other five statutory authorities in the form of two presiding officers and legislature heads each and the Chief Justice of a High Court, he said. He said the government discussed among themselves and appointed Justice Chandrashekarakaih as Upa Lokayukta. "They did not consult Karnataka Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen on the matter," he said. "The government is needlessly blaming me for the constitutional deadlock alleging that I had a political agenda", he said, adding he was doing his job as the head of the state with due diligence. Justice Sen had written to Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda objecting to the appointment of Chandrashekharaiah as a Upa Lokayukta by violating the Lokayukta Act. In his letter, Justice Sen had said Chandrashekaraiah was appointed without consulting him as required under the law. As per section 3(2)(A) of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984, he should have been consulted, Justice Sen said. Under the Act, the government must consult a panel comprising the presiding officers of both Houses of the Legislature, opposition leaders of the two Houses and the Chief Justice. MORE
