After HC rap, UP Lokayukta back in RTI ambit

Uttar Pradesh has included the office of the Lokayukta under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, an official said on Monday.

This follows a directive by the Allahabad High Court after a petition by social activist Nutan Thakur.

The previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government had on August 3, 2012 removed the ombudsman's office from under the purview of the RTI.

Thakur had challenged this in the high court, which directed the state government to quash its earlier order.

The court had also noted that in removing the Lokayukta out of the RTI Act, the state government had done something "unlawful, illegal and beyond its authority".

With the state government doing nothing even after the court directive, the petitioner had filed a contempt of court petition citing the fact that there has been non-compliance of its earlier order.

The state government hurried through the process thereafter and on March 22 quashed its earlier order, thereby bringing back the office of the Lokayukta in the purview of RTI.

--IANS

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