The Supreme Court of India recently set a deadline for the search committee on Lokpal to recommend a panel of names by the end of February. Their recommendations will be for the appointment of India’s first anti-graft ombudsman. The government advised the Supreme Court in January 2019 that an eight-member search committee was put together in September 2018. The committee is led by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
A Look at the Search Committee
Several esteemed individuals make up the search committee. Former chief of State Bank of India, Arundhati Bhattacharya and Prasar Bharati Chairperson, A Surya Prakash, are serving on the committee. Further members include the former Indian Space Research Organisation head, A S Kiran Kumar, and former Judge of Allahabad High Court, Sakha Ram Singh Yadav. Completing the lineup are former Gujarat Police head, Shabbirhusein S Khandwawala, retired IAS officer, Lalit K Panwar, and former Solicitor General, Ranjit Kumar. The committee has been unable to hold deliberations due to limited resources and manpower.
The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act: Background
Despite being passed in 2014, implementation of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act of 2013 has been delayed. The absence of a Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the 16th Lok Sabha caused the delay since the Act requires the LoP to be part of the PM, CJI and Speaker selection committee. Specifically, the selection committee must appoint an eminent jurist among their ranks. However, a judgement from the Supreme Court on April 27 last year clarified that the Lokpal appointment process need not be stalled due to the absence of the LoP. The government’s stand on the Lokpal Appointment has been deemed unsatisfactory by the court, who has urged the government to finalize the appointment.
About the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 was established to create a body of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for the states to investigate allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries. The Act, which applies to public servants both in India and abroad, extends to the whole of India. The Lokpal will inquire or cause inquiries to be conducted into any matter related to any corruption allegation made in a complaint.
| Persons Subject to Investigations: |
|---|
| Current and former Prime Ministers (except for certain exceptions related to security, international relations etc.) |
| Current and former Ministers of the Union or an MP |
| Group A to D officers as defined in Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 |
Duty and Extension of the Lokpal Body
The duty of the Lokpal is to annually present a report to the President that will be laid before each House of Parliament. Moreover, every state shall establish a body known as the Lokayukta, if not so established, constituted or appointed, by a law made by the State Legislature.
