Lokpal issue: SC says Govt's reply 'wholly unsatisfactory', demands 'better affidavit' within 4 weeks

The Supreme Court today rejected as "wholly unsatisfactory" the Centre's submission on the issue of setting up of a search committee for the Lokpal and demanded a "better affidavit" within four weeks.

The direction followed a submission by Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, that the selection committee members comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and eminent jurist Mukul Rohatgi had met on July 19 to deliberate upon names for members of the search committee.

He said Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP and leader of single largest party in opposition in Lok Sabha, was also invited for the meeting but he had declined to attend it.

Hearing the matter, a bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, R Banumathi and Naveen Sinha termed the Centre's affidavit giving details of July 19, meeting of selection committee as "wholly unsatisfactory".

Asking the Centre to specify full particulars in the new affidavit, the bench said, "Having perused the affidavit dated July 23, 2018, all that we are inclined to record at this stage is that we find the said affidavit to be wholly unsatisfactory."