The search committee, which will scout for people for appointment as the chairperson and members of the anti-graft body Lokpal, was set up up Friday. The committee comprises eight members, with former Supreme Court judge K T Thomas heading the panel. Justice Thomas, 77, retired from the apex court as a judge in 2002 after serving it for almost six years. Other members of the committee include eminent jurist and senior advocate Fali S Nariman and Meenakshi Gopinath, principal of Lady Shri Ram College and a political scientist. Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi and Padma Bhushan-awardee educationist Mrinal Miri are also among the members of the committee that will prepare a list of persons for appointment as chairperson and members of the Lokpal. Other members include former chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh Kaki Madhava Rao and senior journalist and political commentator H K Dua. The identity of the eighth member is yet to be ascertained. The five-member select committee — consisting of the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India or his nominee and an eminent person to be appointed by the President of India — has set up the search committee. The Act provides for creation of anti-graft ombudsman to investigate corruption charges against public functionaries, including the Prime Minister, the ministers and the Members of Parliament.
