Lokayukta office runs headless, govt fiddles

The government had sanctioned these posts and had directed the city government to fill them up immediately to enable the smooth functioning of the Lokayukta’s office. These posts are: One post each of Registrar, assistant registrar, director (Investigation), Accounts Officer, private secretary, two post of Assistant Director, five post of stenographer, two Assistants, two upper division clerks, three lower division clerks, three driver and four peons.

The Lokayukta, R M Aggarwal, a former chief justice of the Delhi High Court, expressed serious concern over the attitude of the government in not doing enough to publicise the office so that victims of political and bureaucratic corruption may submit their complaints. He added, “Hardly anyone knows that the Lokayukta has been appointed to deal exclusively with such cases.”

He stated that “My work is to inquire into the allegations of corruption against public functionaries which include the Chief Minister, Members of the Legislative Assembly, Chairman and Vice-Chairman, director of various boards and corporations run by the city government and other officials of the civic bodies.”

“If the allegations levelled against any politician or senior government functionaries are found to be true on investigation, I will submit my findings along with the relevant documentation and other evidence to the President of India and the city’s Lieutenant Governor. They will examine the report and intimate, within three months of the date of report, what action has been taken against the accused.”

Despite being armed with various sections of the Commission of Inquiry Act, Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, Evidence Act and Contempt of Court Act to investigate any corruption charges against important politicians and bureaucrats, Aggarwal said: “The Delhi Lokayukta and Uplokayukta Act, 1995 is silent about the action to be taken against the accused persons after the Lokayukta’s report.”

The Lokayukta has so far received only two complaints, but both of them were out of the purview of the office, he said.

To make the office more accountable to the public, he said, “The investigating officers must be of the rank of Superintendent or Deputy Inspector General (DIG), with a reputation for integrity and vast experience of handling such cases.”

Reiterating that he would seek the co-operation of various private and government investigating agencies including the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate important cases. He cautioned that “it is not easy to solve the deep rooted problem of corruption with one Lokayukta. The officials, the public and more importantly the victims in such cases, would have to come forward with evidence irrespective of the power and position of the accused.”