by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Special report
PM, others asked to give 5 names each for Lokpal Panel
Selecting Lokpal a Herculean task
New Delhi, July 24
The selection of country's first Lokpal is turning out to be most complicated and Herculean task for the Modi government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learning the ropes even four years after assuming office and it is highly unlikely that Lokpal will be place before the next General Elections.
This became clear when the first meeting of the Lokpal Selection Committee comprising of the PM, Chief Justice of India Dipak Mishra, Speaker of the Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan and eminent jurist Mukul Rohtagi was held to form the search committee on July 19. Since Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Congress Party in Lok Sabha refused to attend the meeting for being invited as “Special invitee” and not as full member, the Selection Committee decided to proceed.
It was decided by the members including the PM that all of them furnish the names of five experts each at the next meeting of the committee. Even Kharge will be requested to furnish five names of experts and out of this mega list of 25 experts, the Lokpal Search Committee will be constituted. The Search Committee will comprise of eight members who will be selected out of these 25.
Interestingly, the four members who attended the first meeting of the Lokpal Selection Committee under the Modi era were finding it difficult to draw the names of five persons capable of being members of the Search Committee. Two members felt they needed time to come out with the names while the PM looked on. Mukul Rohtagi reported to have suggested that experts from all corners should be picked up and then a short-list of eight can be drawn. The government will make a special request to Kharge to send the names even if he is not willing to attend the meeting.
It was not clear when the government will hold the next meeting of the Lokpal Selection Committee. It was largely because of this very reason that the Supreme Court rapped the government in the court today.
But the process is so cumbersome that it is unlikely to be completed anytime soon because the 8-member search committee will invite applications from all over the country through a proper advertisement in newspapers for the posts of 9-member Lokpal body.
It may be mentioned that the same task was undertaken by the Manmohan Singh government after the Lokpal & Lokayukta Act was passed in 2013. A search committee comprising of 8 members headed by Justice K T Thomas was constituted in February 2014 which invited applications for Lokpal. 300 persons applied. But suddenly Justice Thomas quit and process came to a grinding halt. It will be a miracle if the Modi government can complete the task during the remaining period of its term.
