C RANGASWAMAIAH Vs. KARNATAKA LOKAYUKTA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) On the last day before summer vacation, namely, 14-5-1998, we dismissed these Special Leave Petitions at the stage of admission and stated that we shall pass a reasoned order later. We are passing that order now.

(2.) These seven special leave petitions have been preferred against the common judgment of the Karnataka High Court in Writ Petitions Nos. 24215/97, 32653/97, 33388/97, 27056/97, 27361/97, 33852/97 and 4361/98. The judgment, in fact, disposed of several other writ petitions also and in addition considered the correctness of the judgment dated 12-8-1997 of a learned single Judge of that Court rendered in Writ Petition No. 17819 of 1994 against which Writ Appeals Nos. 5081/97 and 5071/97 were respectively preferred by the petitioner therein and the State of Karnataka.

(3.) The point raised in these SLPs is whether the investigation under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 entrusted by the State of Karnataka to the Police Officers of the State having the requisite rank could still be said to be vitiated because of the fact that the said officers were on deputation to the Police Wing of the Karnataka State Lok Ayukta at the relevant time