Bengaluru:

Former Supreme Court docket Choose N Santosh Hegde mentioned at this time he was “completely upset” with Aam Aadmi Celebration chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested in reference to an excise coverage linked money-laundering case.

Justice (retd) Hegde, a former Solicitor Basic of India, was among the many key personalities, together with Mr Kejriwal, behind the then ‘India Towards Corruption’ motion, spearheaded by Anna Hazare, greater than a decade in the past, which had on the time introduced the problem of corruption into sharp focus.

“It clearly exhibits that when in energy, greed overtakes you,” he mentioned on the case towards Arvind Kejriwal.

“I’m completely upset. I assumed AAP (after it got here to energy) will uphold administrative equity which isn’t there. And it is a sign of the truth that energy corrupts and absolute energy corrupts completely,” he informed Press Belief of India.

After part of the motion grew to become a political celebration (AAP), Justice (retd) Hegde, the previous Karnataka Lokayukta, got here out of it.

“Particular motive for popping out was that politics at this time is a den of corruption. No political celebration is free from it. The India Towards Corruption motion was combating towards corruption in administration.

It was our precept that we’ll keep out of politics and attempt to clear politics. However then a bunch of individuals determined that we must always enter into politics (after which went on to type AAP) and clear it which I by no means believed will be accomplished efficiently. And I believe what’s taking place at this time in AAP is an instance of what I assumed was right,” Mr Hegde mentioned.

He mentioned Arvind Kejriwal had come house to ask him to hitch the celebration however he didn’t agree.

Mr Hegde additionally shared his views on oft-repeated allegations levelled by opposition events towards the BJP-led NDA authorities of misusing Central businesses like ED and CBI in corruption instances and focusing on them.

“Allegation of events in opposition that the ruling celebration is doing it just for destroying opposition, I do not consider it. Sure, they’re selectively doing this. However that’s no offence in any respect. As a result of in legal jurisprudence, there isn’t any Article 14 (of the Structure)…doesn’t apply equality.

“And in the future when they’ll come to energy, they’ll go towards the BJP. So, finally there might be full justice, is it? If they do not do it towards the opposition, then once they come to energy they will not do it towards these folks additionally. No less than 50 per cent justice is being accomplished now,” he mentioned.

Within the coming Lok Sabha elections, Hegde mentioned he desires each eligible particular person to vote.

“Vote not based mostly on any caste, or any affiliation in any respect, vote based mostly on the standard of the candidate. For those who do not discover a appropriate candidate who would serve your constituency, then there’s NOTA (Not one of the Above). Vote for NOTA. That can ship a message to political events that each ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ isn’t an acceptable politician,” he mentioned.
 

(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)