Lokpal is in: President Kovind appoints chief, 8 members

Justice Ghose was appointed judge of the Supreme Court in March 2013 and retired in May 2017. He is currently a member of the National Human Rights Commission. The names were cleared by the Lokpal Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.

Retired Supreme Court judge Pinaki Chandra Ghose is India’s first Lokpal. (Source: Supreme Court website)

The first Lokpal, the national anti-corruption ombudsman, has been officially set up with President Ram Nath Kovind Tuesday appointing former Supreme Court judge Justice P C Ghose as its chairperson, and eight members, including an equal number of judicial and non-judicial names.

The Indian Express had reported Monday that Justice (retired) Ghose was all set to be appointed the Lokpal chairperson. According to an official communique, the four judicial members appointed by the President are former Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale, former Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty, former Manipur High Court Chief Justice Abhilasha Kumari and current Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi.

The non-judicial members are Maharashtra Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, retired IPS officer and ex-DG of Sashastra Seema Bal Archana Ramasundaram, retired IRS official Mahender Singh and retired IAS officer I P Gautam, who is currently the full time managing director of Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) Limited.

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Lokpal team: From top judges to experienced bureaucrats

Justice Ghose was appointed judge of the Supreme Court in March 2013 and retired in May 2017. He is currently a member of the National Human Rights Commission. The names were cleared by the Lokpal Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, which envisaged the setting up of a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states, was enacted in 2013 and received Presidential assent on January 1, 2014. But the appointment was delayed due to various reasons.

According to the Act, the Lokpal is to be headed by a chairperson, “who is or has been a Chief Justice of India or is or has been a Judge of the Supreme Court or an eminent person… of impeccable integrity and outstanding ability having special knowledge and expertise of not less than twenty-five years in matters relating to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance including insurance and banking, law and management”.

Explained | How Lokpal will form, function

It states that the body will also consist of not more than eight members out of whom 50 per cent shall be judicial members.

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The Lokpal can inquire or initiate an inquiry into allegations of corruption against sitting and former Prime Ministers. However, it cannot exercise this power in allegations of corruption related to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy and space. Such inquiries will also have to be considered by a full bench of the Lokpal consisting of its chairperson and all members, and approved by at least two-thirds of its members.

The Lokpal will also have the power of inquiry into allegations of corruption against sitting and former Ministers and MPs but not in respect of anything said, or a vote cast, by them in Parliament or any House committee. It will also have jurisdiction over all classes of public servants.

Ananthakrishnan G

Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More

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