MUDA case: Ex-Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde says CM Siddaramaiah should resign
Bengaluru: Weighing in on the MUDA site allotment case, Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde on Wednesday said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should resign in view of the serious allegations against him.
He also dismissed the CM's claim that he has not committed anything wrong, and said the High Court has found that prima facie there was evidence of wrongdoing.
“It is up to him (Siddaramaiah) to decide whether to resign or not but when there is such a serious allegation I feel that in public view point, he should resign though there is nothing wrong in not giving resignation as per law,” Hegde told reporters here.
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The retired Supreme Court judge further said, “The sanction to investigate the Chief Minister was granted in MUDA case where the High Court has said that prima facie there is evidence. Against this backdrop, I feel that he should resign. Rest is left to him.”
Recalling the former PM and late Lal Bahadur Shastri resigning in 1956 as the Railway Minister following a train accident in South India, the former Karnataka ombudsman said, "That tendency (Shastri) is not there now.”
His comments come a day after the Karnataka HC upheld the sanction granted by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi by MUDA.
The HC had also vacated its August 19 interim order directing the Special Court for People's Representatives to defer the decision on complaints against the Chief Minister, giving the green signal for ordering a probe.
It had also dismissed Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the legality of the Governor's August 16 order granting approval for investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.
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Dr. Sushil Jathanna honored with Milestone Global, IHW Global Leaders Award
Udupi: Dr. Sushil Jathanna, Director of CSI Lombard Memorial (Mission) Hospital, Udupi, has been recognized with both the Milestone Global Award and the IHW Global Leaders Award for his exceptional contributions to healthcare.
Dr. Jathanna was awarded the Milestone Global Award, along with a Gold Medal and Certificate of Excellence, at the Milestone Global Awards and Conclave-2024, held on September 14 at the Bahi Ajman Palace Hotel, Ajman, UAE. The award was presented by Emirati businessman and philanthropist Dr. Abdullah.
Additionally, on September 21, Dr. Jathanna was honored with the IHW Global Leaders Award at the 10th Integrative Health and Wellness (IHW) Summit, hosted at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Dubai. The award was presented by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, former Union Health and Environment Minister, and Amruta Fadnavis, singer and social activist, and wife of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis.
Dr. Jathanna played a key role in reviving the historic Lombard Memorial Hospital, founded in 1923 by Swiss missionary Dr. Eva Lombard, into a modern 150-bed multispecialty facility providing high-quality healthcare services.
Born in Mangaluru, Dr. Jathanna earned his MBBS from KMC in 1982 and pursued advanced studies in Internal Medicine, Public Health Medicine, Health Policy, and Management abroad. He boasts over 32 years of experience in medicine and public health in England.
Notably, he became the first Indian to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Service (NHS) at Cambridge and previously held the position of Managing Director of Care UK PLC's Healthcare Division.
Dr. Jathanna has also served as President of the Karnataka Chapter of the Association of Healthcare Providers of India and was a member of the Karnataka State Hospital Board of the Indian Medical Association. Furthermore, he is a trustee of the Christian Medical Association of India and a member of the Executive Council of Christian Medical College, Vellore, according to the release.
