Former Supreme court Justice Santosh Hegde favours right to recall.

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SHIMOGA: Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde said on Thursday that people would not get good governance unless it was made their fundamental right to question those in power.
Delivering the Kateel Appu Pai Memorial Oration on “Good governance – is it the right of a citizen or not?” organised by the Manasa Trust here, he said that people should have the right to recall the elected representatives if they were corrupt. He was ready to frame a legislation in this regard if he was asked to do so.
Stating that the low percentage of voting in general elections was the root cause of all ills of democracy, he said that voting should be made compulsory. People should be asked to specify reasons if they did not cast their vote.
Postal ballots should be provided to those who were not in a position to go to polling stations.
Mr. Hegde said that corrupt politicians should be removed from their positions the way corrupt officials were sacked. Another way to check corruption in politics was to fix retirement age for elected representatives.
He said that the practice of politicians mentioning in their will that their kith and kin succeed them should be discouraged to prevent erosion of democratic values. Society should not tolerate corruption and people should question corrupt politicians or bureaucrats, he added.
He, however, warned that corruption in public life would not last long and asked corrupt politicians and officials not to give scope for people to revolt against them. Mr. Hegde paid tributes to Kateel Appu Pai for his contribution to public life.
President of the city municipal council K.S. Gangadharappa was the chief guest.
President of the International Academy of Clinical Psychologists of University Sabah Malaysia N. Kumaraswamy, international chess player Srikrishna Udupa and winner of National Award for Entrepreneurship B.V. Lakshmidevi were felicitated.
Managing trustee of the Manasa Trust and psychiatrist K.A. Ashok Pai presided over the function.