Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Vishwanath Shetty has held multiple high-profile posts, faced encroachment allegations

Karnataka Lokayukta, Justice P Vishwanath Shetty, an anti-corruption watchdog, was stabbed in his Bengaluru office on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_4380193” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah with Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanath Shetty. PTI[/caption] Shetty, a former high court judge, took over as the Karnataka Lokayukta in January 2017, according  to an India Today report. Shetty took over after his predecessor Y Bhaskar Rao, a former high court chief justice, stepped down in December 2015 amid public pressure to quit over an alleged bribery scandal involving his office and son, according to a report in Hindustan Times. According to a report in Livemint, however, Shetty too has faced accusations of encroachment by him and his family. However, he has dismissed them and said he is not worried, and that he has every record and transaction regarding properties owned by him and his family. The Livemint report said Shetty could quote from memory every single property, the day and date they were purchased and for what cost, and in some cases, even details of the previous owners, adding that most properties were bought before he was appointed judge in 1995. The 73-year-old first enrolled as an advocate on 1 January, 1966, practiced in the Karnataka High Court, and was designated a senior advocate in 1993. According to a report in The Times of India, Shetty hails from Udupi district and previously served as chairman of the Karnataka State Bar Council. He was appointed a Karnataka High Court judge on 18 December, 1995, and was the first president of the Karnataka Judicial Academy, according to The Times of India report. Shetty was chairman of the High Court Legal Services Committee and executive chairman of Karnataka State Legal Services Authority. Shetty was stabbed multiple times and is reportedly in a critical situation, media reports said. The accused, Tejas Sharma, has been arrested, CNN-News 18 reported. Shetty was rushed to Mallya Hospital near the Lokayukta office and is in the intensive care unit. Police have begun interrogating Sharma.