Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday directed the State government to fill up the post of Lokayukta within three months, as the chair lies vacant with the retirement of Justice P K Misra on September 17.
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The Division Bench of Justice M S Sonak and Justice M S Jawalkar, while hearing a petition filed by advocate Aires Rodrigues, asked the State to expedite the appointment process.
“Taking into consideration the mandate as well as purpose of enactment of Lokayukta Act, we feel that this vacancy has to be filled in as expeditiously as possible so that the institution of the Lokayukta functions in the State of Goa. Therefore, we direct the State to take effective steps to fill up this post as expeditiously as possible and, in any case, within a period of three months from today,” reads the order while disposing off the petition.
Earlier during the hearing, Advocate General Devidas Pangam informed the court that the government has sent a communication to the Registrar of the Supreme Court seeking names of candidates who are eligible and willing to be appointed as Lokayukta. In these circumstances, the AG stated, it was not possible to indicate a clear date by which the appointment will be made.
Rodrigues, in his petition filed before Misra’s retirement, had accused the government of delaying the process of selecting the new Lokayukta despite knowing very well that Lokayukta was due to retire on September 17.
Misra was appointed to the post on April 24, 2016; nearly two-and-half years after Goa’s first Lokayukta – appointed on March 8, 2013 – submitted his resignation to the government in September 2013. The then Governor accepted the resignation in the following month, October.
