A day after the Karnataka High Court indicated that appointing a new lokayukta in the southern state was being considered, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Mysuru Wednesday confirmed that the process of appointing the lokayukta was in the final stage. Bommai said, “The process (of appointment of lokayukta) is in its final stage. It will be done at the earliest, it won’t take many days.” The panel formed to choose the new lokayukta comprises Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly, chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council, and leaders of opposition in both the Houses. The office has been vacant since Justice P Vishwanath Shetty stepped down as the lokayukta in January 2022 after serving for five years. Newsletter | Click to get the day's best explainers in your inbox Notably, the high court made the observation while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Umapathi S on the issue Tuesday. While the high court reportedly attempted to dispose of the case as the appointment process had begun, the petitioner requested the Court to keep the decision pending till the appointment was made. The division bench of the high court headed by the chief justice posted the matter for hearing again after 10 days. The petition said: “Due to non-appointment of lokayukta, the complaints and grievances are pending for disposal for several years and fresh complaints and grievances keep on accumulating to the pending list of grievances and complaints.”
