India’s apex court has expressed dissatisfaction over the Centre’s response on appointment of search committee members for a Lokpal.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, R Banumathi and Navin Sinha asked the Centre to file a fresh affidavit giving relevant details of the search committee, reported PTI.
During the hearing, Attorney General K K Venugopal reportedly submitted an affidavit and said a meeting of the selection committee was held but the names for the search committee were not finalised.
He was quoted as saying that another meeting would be held soon for appointing members of the search committee, keeping in mind the provisions of law for such appointments.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner NGO Common Cause, reportedly said the Centre has not specified the date of the next meeting and they are actually delaying the appointment of a Lokpal despite passage of a law nearly five years ago.
He said contempt action should be initiated against the concerned authorities or the court may proceed ahead for appointing the Lokpal by exercising its power under Article 142 of the Constitution (enforcement of decrees and orders of Supreme Court).
The bench, in its order, said it’s unsatisfied with the Centre’s reply and sought a fresh affidavit in four weeks giving all necessary details, reported PTI.
The Centre had earlier told the apex court the Lokpal selection committee, headed by the prime minister, was scheduled to meet to set up a search panel for recommending a panel of names for the appointment of the anti-graft ombudsman and its members, the report said.
The government had said the search panel would lay down its procedures, following which the selection committee would fix the time frame within which the names for selecting the chairman and members of the Lokpal would be recommended.
The committee comprises the prime minister, the chief justice of India, Lok Sabha speaker, the leader of the largest opposition party and an eminent jurist, the report highlighted.