Who is the new Upa Lokayukta appointed by Karnataka Governor?

The Karnataka Governor has appointed Justice K N Phaneendra as the new Upa Lokayukta after two years.Justice Phaneendra has served as a Secretary to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

Published on: Mar 24, 2022, 20:31:48 IST

By Yamini C S

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The Karnataka Governor has appointed Justice K N Phaneendra as the new Upa Lokayukta of the state after a gap of nearly two years. Justice Phaneendra is a former judge of the Karnataka High Court and has served as a secretary to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court and also as the Principal Secretary to the Karnataka government’s Department of Law, Justice and Human Rights.

The post has been vacant after the term of Justice N Ananda ended in December 2020.

What are the powers of the Upa-Lokayukta?

If the Lokayukta or the Upa-Lokayukta notices a practice or procedure which in his opinion affords an opportunity for corruption, he may bring it to the notice of the Government and may suggest such changes in the said practice or procedure as he may deem fit.

Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot issued a notification on Thursday appointing Justice Phaneendra as the Upa Lokayukta. His name was recommended by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai following a consultation with the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Speaker of Legislative Assembly, Chairman of Legislative Council and Leader of Opposition in both the Houses of the state Legislature.

Justice Phaneendra will most likely take oath in the upcoming week.

He enrolled as an advocate in 1985 and practiced in Tumkur District on Civil and Criminal matters. He was directly recruited as District and Sessions Judge in 1998, served as Additional District and Sessions Judge in the Bengaluru and Shivamogga districts and as Principal District and Sessions Judge in the Udupi, Haveri and Belagavi districts.

He also served as Secretary to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court and also as the Principal Secretary to the Karnataka government’s Department of Law, Justice and Human Rights. He was appointed as the Additional Judge of the High Court of Karnataka on October 24, 2013. Justice Phaneendra was made a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court in March 2016 and retired in May 2020.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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