Dimapur, October 2 : A team set up by the Nagaland government on Wednesday held a meeting with senior Lokayukta officials to study the Lokayukta institution in the state.
A senior Lokayukta official said that one of the main points of discussion was the vacant post of Lokayukta in the state.
“Members of the delegation asked why the post was kept vacant for so long. We explained to them the reasons for the present situation and also advised the delegation to include in their draft that the government shall not keep the post of Lokayukta or Upa Lokayukta vacant for more than six months,’’ the official said.
Other important points discussed were about the provisions to include a mandatory action-taken report from the state government on the reports sent by the Lokayukta.
A judgement of the Supreme Court (State of Madhya Pradesh v/s Ram Singh) was discussed in the meeting which held that the government was duty-bound to appoint the Lokayukta or Upa Lokayukta without any delay.
The SC order had opined that any government which has a commitment to eradicate corruption in public life cannot be so insensitive in not appointing a Lokayukta or Upa Lokayukta which is a statutory obligation cast upon them. In a democracy, when the government does not perform its statutory obligations and when it concerns performing a public duty, a responsible opposition also owes an obligation to the public to highlight these matters thus compelling the government to perform its duty.
The Nagaland team will also visit Goa to study the functioning of the Lokayukta institution, the official added.
The Lokayukta ("appointed by the people") is an anti-corruption ombudsman organization in the Indian states.
The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) headed by Morarji Desai submitted a special interim report on ‘Problems of Redress of Citizen's Grievances" in 1966. In this report, the ARC recommended the setting up of two special authorities designated as 'Lokpal' and 'Lokayukta' for the redress of citizens' grievances.
The Lokayukta, along with the Income Tax Department and the Anti Corruption Bureau, mainly helps people publicise corruption among the politicians and government officials. Many acts of the Lokayukta have resulted in criminal or other consequences for those charged. (Source: Deccan Herald)
