Acting on the delay in the appointment of anti-graft ombudsman Lokpal in the country, the Supreme Court sought a report from the Union government on Monday. The apex court asked the Narendra Modi government to file an affidavit within 10 days mentioning details on when will be the Lokpal appointed and how long will each step take to initiate the process.
Hearing the contempt petition filed by NGO Common Cause, which raised the issue of non-appointment of the ombudsman, Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi asked for the details from the Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre. As Venugopal placed the written instructions which he had received from the government on the issue of appointment of Lokpal before the bench, after which next hearing date was scheduled on July 17.
ALSO READ: Government to oppose Nikah Halala and polygamy in Supreme Court
In its last verdict of April 27 of 2017, the apex court had said that ‘there was no justification to keep the enforcement of the Lokpal Act suspended till the proposed amendments, including on the issue of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, were cleared by Parliament’, reports Indian Express.
On being sought for a reply, on May 15, the Centre had said to the Supreme Court that they have appointed senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi as an eminent jurist in the selection committee for appointment of the anti-graft ombudsman Lokpal.
ALSO READ: Mehul Choksi seeks relief from court appearances, cites mob lynching threats
With inputs from PTI
Image Courtesy: The Live Law