Karnataka Lokayukta Bhaskar Rao resigns over graft charges on son

Karnataka Lokayukta Justice R Bhaskar Rao has resigned over charges that that his son and other officials in the anti-graft agency ran an extortion racket from his office. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala on Tuesday said the resignation has been accepted with immediate effect

The resignation comes nearly five months after the Karnataka assembly took up the case to discuss and recommend an investigation by the Karnataka High Court on the charges. Since then, Justice Rao was on leave. Assembly speaker Kagodu Thimappa was to recommend investigation to the High Court this week.

Justice Rao, a former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, took over as the anti-corruption ombudsman in February 2013. The congress government, which appointed him, has set up a special investigation team to probe charges of allowing his son, Ashwin Rao to extort money from government officials, suspected to be corrupt. Ashwin Rao and few others in the Lok Ayukta were arrested in August.