‘Pro-govt’ Lokayukta must go; whistleblower demands fair process of new appointment

Special Correspondent

NewsBits.in

Bhopal: Even as the extended term of Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta Justice (rtd) PP Naolekar is nearing end, demand for a new appointment in fair and transparent manner has been put across, especially in the backdrop of reports that he might be given another extension.

Saying that Lokayukta Naolekar is ‘pro-government’ rather than ‘pro-people’ and that he is failing to curb corruption as he is obliged to the state government following an extension, activist and Vyapam whistleblower Ajay Dubey, has said that government should come out with an open advertisement for new appointments according to rule.

The extended term of Lokayukta Naolekar is set to expire on June 28, but words are strong that the government is set to give another extension to him.

Dubey, who has been raising issues related to alleged arbitrary actions and decisions of state government in context of Lokayukta office, told media persons on Friday that he has submitted a list of names of Supreme Court and High Court judges to the governor who are eligible for the posts.

The post of deputy Lokayukta is vacant in MP since February 2014 and despite repeated representations and demands, the state government has failed to initiate process for the appointment. Justice Naolekar’s term also expired in June 2015, but the state government had already made legislative provisions for a yearlong extension for him.

“Now that the extended term is also coming to an end, we demand that both the posts should be filled up fairly and in transparent manner. We would like to remind that our petition in High Court had forced the MP government to initiate a transparent appointment process for information commissioners,” Dubey said.

The activist also said that Justice Naolekar has been progressively ineffective as Lokayukta as he took suo motu cognizance of seven corruption cases after taking over office in June 2009, but later he registered only three other cases in his seven year tenure.