Hazare moves SC today to pre-empt any crackdown

Wants To Ensure Govt Doesn’t ‘Suppress’ Aug 16 Fast

New Delhi: Citing the police crackdown on Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Ground here, activist
Anna Hazare
on Sunday said he will approach the Supreme Court on Monday seeking its intervention to ensure that the government does “not suppress” his fast on Lokpal issue beginning August 16.
“Government said we will suppress the agitation of Anna Hazare as had been done in the case of Ramdev. Is this democracy or autocracy? You cannot suppress.... That is why we will go to the Supreme Court tomorrow,” Hazare said.
Holding that the Constitution has given right to every citizen to protest democratically, the anti-corruption activist said he will launch his indefinite fast here from August 16 as announced. “The Constitution has given right to every citizen to lodge a protest. We will launch the agitation from August 16,” he said.
The exercise to work out an agreed draft of the Lokpal Bill between the Government and Hazare-led civil society had ended in failure last month after which Hazare had announced that he will go ahead with his August fast.
Hazare has been demanding that the prime minister be brought under the ambit of Lokpal which has been opposed by the government. After nine meetings spread over two months, the joint drafting committee of the two sides concluded its deliberations on a note of disagreement with the government asserting that it could not allow creation of a parallel structure which would be “answerable to nobody”. PTI

My team under threat: Hegde

Bangalore: Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde on Sunday wants police protection for four of his officers who are key to drafting the second report on illegal mining which will be submitted to the state government before July 25. They are currently working from a secret location. Terming the report as “most sensitive”, Hegde said the four officers are not even using assistants’ help.