Mamata finally initiates process to set up Lokayukta after roping in Anna

In the wake of Anna Hazare's support to TMC, the West Bengal government has finally woken up to revive the defunct Lokayukta in the state. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has directed the state law department to prepare a new bill to set up a multi-member Lokayukta in the state.

“The state Lokayukta Act 2003 would be repaeled and a new bill is being prepared to set up a multi-member Lokayukta. The government wants to pass the bill in the next assembly session,” a senior official said.

The Left Front government had passed the Act in 2003. It was only on July 17, 2007 that the government issued a notification appointing Justice (retired) Samaresh Banerjee as the first Lokayukta of West Bengal. Since Banerjee vacated office in 2009, there is no Lokayukta in the state.

While TMC-government had so far been silent on the issue, it was last week during her joint press conference with anti-graft leader  Anna Hazare who led the Lokpal movement, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee indicated that the state would initiate the process to set up a Lokayukta. Incidentally, the appointment of Lokayukta was one of Hazare's 17-point charter, the TMC agreed to accommodate it in its manifesto – on the basis of which the the activist agreed to campaign for Mamata in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll.

Officials suggest, soon after returning from Delhi, Banerjee took up the matter and directed the concerned departments to draft a new state Lokayukta bill before the next assembly season.

Also, the Centre too is understood to have written to the state government earlier, to speed up the process of stetting up Lokayukta.

In fact, Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011, passed by the Parliament in December last year mandates for setting up of the institution of Lokayukta through enactment of a law by the State Legislature within a period of 365 days from the date of commencement of the Act.

Although, the state government may have its own imprint in the state Lokayukta bill, it is to be modelled on the central act only.“There copuld be some differences in the selection process, reservations or ambit of investigations, but primarily it would be modelled on the central act. The nitty-gritty will be known once the the draft bill is prepared, “ the official said.