by M K Vidyaranya

The law as it exists today  seems  to be  strong and that its arm  is long enough to  reach all illegal acts contrary and offencive to public morality or public decency committed by persons however strong, influential or  mighty they may be has been proved to the hilt by the recent arrest of ruling party politicians and  ministers.

All law abiding citizens are sure to appreciate  the way in which the former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, who,  after two years of intensive investigations exposed the Illegal Mining Scam and 'corrupt' deeds of  politicians including, B S Yeddyurappa who was compelled to resign from his coveted post  of Chief Ministership. He is now colling his heels at the Bangalore Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara on the outskirts of Bangalore.

Unlike others of his tribe, Justice Santosh Hegde,who was the Supreme Court Judge before appointed Lokayukta in Karnataka, has become a National figure for his in depth report on the Illegal Mining scam in Karnataka.

Former Ministers Katta Subramanya Naidu, his son Katta Jagdish, have also been  sent to jail in Bangalore  on corruption charges while all powerful former minister GaliJanardhana Reddy who was picked up by the CBI  on the directions of the Supreme Court of India, pertaining to a case of Illegal Mining and  sent to a jail in Andhra Pradesh.

People are all praise for the     50 year old Lokayukta Judge     N K Sudhindra Rao, who     dared to send Yeddyurappa, Katta Subramanya Naidu       and his son to jail and           issue summons to former    Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his wife Anita Kumaraswamy,    a sitting MLA.                                                                                                             

While Yeddyurappa hails from the all powerful Lingayat community ,  Kumarawsamy  is a Vokkaliga.                                              

                                                                                                                                                    People who are watching the Yeddyurappa case say, "The Judge will not bend to any one, he is a Judge of sterner stuff", they feel adding that he is one of very few judges who has upheld the law without prejudice without fear or favour in an equal and fair way.

Both communities are fighting for power in Karnataka right from the formation of Karnataka.The Lingayats comprise 17 per cent of the population of Karnataka and are dominant in the central and northern parts of Karnataka while the Vokkaligas, who comprise 15 per cent of the 5 crore-odd population of Karnataka, are spread mainly across Bangalore, Mandya, Hassan, Mysore, Kolar and Chikamagalur.

The Dalits in Karnataka comprise 23 per cent of the population, Kurubas 8 per cent while the Muslims make up 10 per cent. The rest of the population comprises Christians and others.

Though the Dalits outnumber the Lingayats and Vokkaligas, it is the two communities that matter in the state's politics.