SC to hear plea for appointment of Lokpal, Lokayukta

The Supreme Court today will hear a plea seeking the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayuktas at the Centre and in states.

The PIL filed by advocate and Delhi BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay alleged, that though the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, received Presidential assent on January 1, 2014, and came into force from January 16, 2014, the executive has not established the Lokpal.

"Section 63 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, envisages that every State shall establish a body to be known as the Lokayukta within a period of one year from the date of commencement of the Act, however, many States have not done so till date. And many States have not passed the Lokayukta Act in consonance with the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013," the plea said.

According to the petitioner, many state governments are deliberately weakening the Lokayukta by not providing adequate infrastructure, sufficient budget and workforce.