‘No point delaying lokpal, lokayukta appointments’

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court said on Thursday there was no justification in delaying the appointments of lokpal and lokayuktas, virtually rejecting the Centre’s stand that it cannot nominate the anti-corruption ombudsman for want of a leader of opposition.

A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the 2013 law that came into force in 2014 is an “eminently workable legislation”.

The court also said, in selecting eminent jurists as members of the search committee, the Chief Justice of India’s view will have primacy over the other members including the Prime Minister and Lok Sabha Speaker.

During a hearing last month, the government said that it was not possible to appoint a lokpal as there was no leader of the opposition.

Parliament approved a law to create an independent anti-corruption agency after a delay of almost 50 years but the hiring of a lokpal to run it has been stuck on the question of who should be on the appointment panel.

Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi said the amendments to the definition of the leader of opposition in the Lokpal Act were pending with Parliament.

As the present Lok Sabha does not have a leader of the opposition, the government moved an amendment allowing the leader of the largest opposition party to be part of the panel.

But the opposition called for a closer scrutiny of other changes and the bill was sent to a parliamentary committee that gave some suggestions last year. The government is yet to take a call on them.

The Congress, the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha, didn’t have enough members for one of its MPs to be named the leader of the opposition.

The Congress has 45 MPs, while the requirement is 55.

DURING A HEARING LAST MONTH, THE BJP GOVERNMENT SAID THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO APPOINT A LOKPAL AS THERE WAS NO LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION