The Supreme Court Monday was not impressed with the Nagaland government's submissions in support of amendments to a local law to ensure the chief minister's role in selection and appointment of Lokayukta.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which was hearing a PIL seeking appointment of an anti-graft ombudsman in every state, had earlier summoned the Nagaland chief secretary to interact on the issue of change in the local law governing selection and appointment of Lokayukta in the state.
"The state says that it will give a go by to the Constitutional principle then we cannot help," the bench, which also comprised justices S K Kaul and K M Jopseph, said while expressing dissatisfaction with the response of the chief secretary.
"If your chief secretary does not understand the simple question then we are sorry. We do not have the time," it said while adjourning the hearing to October 31.
The top bureaucrat could not give satisfactory answers to the queries posed by the bench on the amendment to Section 3(2) of the Nagaland Lokayukta Act, 2017, bringing in the chief minister as one of the persons who will have a role in the selection of the ombudsman.
Earlier, the bench had said though it did not want to comment on the necessity of an amendment to a statute as it was the prerogative of the legislature, it had summoned the chief secretary to know the reasons for the change in the law.
"We would like to interact with the chief secretary of the state of Nagaland on this aspect of the matter who will be personally present on October 29," the bench had said.
However, the bench Monday said,"The statement made by the chief secretary of Nagaland before the court seems to be inappropriate. Let the chief secretary file a personal affidavit."
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