Now not even a toothless Lokpal
When the Congress snatched a surprise win in Punjab polls last year, it was also its please-all poll manifesto that did the trick. Along with doles for farmers, youth and women, the party had promised to clean-up the entire system, including bringing a new Lokpal Act — one that spares none, including the chief minister. But 15 months on, forget a powerful Lokpal, there is not even the “toothless tiger” there once used to be.
The post has been vacant since April this year when Justice Satish Kumar Mittal (retd), former chief justice of Rajasthan high court, resigned as the Punjab Lokpal to join as chairman of the Haryana Human Rights Commission. He was appointed on November 2016 after then Lokpal, Justice Jai Singh Sekhon (retd), a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court, had passed away in April 2016.
Though a watchdog on politicians and government officials, the institution in Punjab has been marred with controversies of government cherry-picking its loyalists. The Congress, then in opposition, had opposed Sekhon’s appointment in November 2012, saying he is elder brother of then Akali minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, and a relative of then CM Parkash Singh Badal.
In power, the Congress is not faring any better. Now it is the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is crying foul over reports of appointment of a “CM loyalist” as Lokpal. Since the Act mandates it, the Lokpal secretariat has a staff of 13, including a principal secretary, an inspector general of police, a registrar, a joint registrar, reader, record keeper and peons.
But since there is no Lokpal, the Amarinder government has relieved the registrar, joint registrar, reader and record keeper too on June 15. No administrative secretary has been assigned to it. This when the number of complaints have been increasing. Between 2006 and 2012 (when Sekhon was appointed), the Punjab Lokpal had received only 40 complaints. Justice Mittal had received 80 complaints in his 16-month tenure. By June 15 this year, 210 complaints were pending before it.