‘Cash for query’ case: Lokpal orders CBI to probe allegations against Mahua Moitra
The Lokpal has given the CBI six months time to complete the probe.
The Lokpal has given the CBI six months time to complete the probe.
Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy, Justice Sanjay Yadav, and Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi were named judicial members of Lokpal through a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique issued this evening.
Justice Subramonium Prasad had, on January 22, refused to intervene in the proceedings deeming Soren's petition challenging the Lokpal proceedings and the complaint as premature.
However, there has been no official confirmation of the claim from the anti-corruption body.
In contrast, on the appointment of Lokpal, the committee has recommended the setup panel to shortlist the names for the post of Lokpal.
The Lokpal can delegate his powers of, say, 'search and seizure' to any subordinate "officer or employee". This is contrary to basic norms of law that a power once delegated cannot be sub-delegated. This is a very dangerous proposition, which may have ramifications on the rule of law since the Lokpal Act is a very critical piece of legislation. It has jurisdiction over the Prime Minister, the entire cabinet, MPs and all Class I officers of the Government of India, Indeed, the entire elected Government is under the Lokpal, so to speak.
The hope that the Lokpal will be a panacea for all such ills is entirely misplaced. He can do no such thing. The entire concept is not only flawed but is highly unconstitutional. The Act is a travesty of the law which will result in a host of endless problems for the elected government of the day. It is a poorly conceived piece of legislation; even the concept of Lokpal has not been defined.
Days after the SC criticised the government over the delay in appointment of a Lokpal and issued a deadline for the same, a selection committee comprising the PM finalised Ghose’s name.
Justice PC Ghose certainly has all the right credentials but can there be any ducking of the question if the “system” will enable him to deliver what he might seek to achieve.
Ghose, who is currently the a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), was also a former judge of the Calcutta High Court and former chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
