"Uttarakhand High Court's Mandate: State Ordered to Name Lokayukta in Three-Month Window"
The Uttarakhand High Court has issued a significant directive to the state government, compelling it to appoint a Lokayukta within the next three months. According to reliable sources, the court's ruling also encompasses a stipulation that individuals employed in the Lokayukta's office must withhold their salaries until the crucial position of the anti-corruption watchdog is satisfactorily filled.
A bench presided over by Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal reportedly formulated these instructions. Moreover, the court has granted the government the flexibility to assign tasks from alternate departments to these employees and subsequently compensate them accordingly.
The impetus for this legal development was a plea asserting that substantial financial resources are being expended on the Lokayukta's office, all the while the position itself remains vacant for an extended duration. This plea notably underscored the existing circumstance where all investigative bodies within the state are under direct governmental control.
Notably, the plea accentuated the existing void in Uttarakhand's legal framework, wherein no empowered investigative body exists with the authority to initiate corruption inquiries against government officials without securing prior permission from the state administration.
Reports reveal that Uttarakhand has been without a Lokayukta since 2013, following the conclusion of M M Ghildiyal's tenure as the former Lokayukta.
TAGS: Uttarakhand High Court State government appoint Lokayukta three months personnel salaries anti-corruption ombudsman Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi Justice Rakesh Thapliyal directions tasks alternative departments payments plea money expended investigative agencies control corruption case bureaucrat prior permission 2013 M M Ghildiyal.
