Stalemate over UP Governor's appointment continues

The stand-off between UP government and Governor Ram Naik over appointment of retired justice Ravindra Singh as the new Lokayukta refused to end as the SP dispensation has recommended Singh's name for the fourth time in a month.
The Governor had been busy throughout the day today consulting legal experts and examining the government reply sent on Saturday night to arrive at a decision on the ongoing stalemate over appointment of the new Lokayukta.
Earlier, a communique from Raj Bhavan had said that the Allahabad High Court had in July asked the state government to suggest a name after consulting the chief minister, Chief Justice of High Court and Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.

The communique said that Leader of the Opposition Swami Parsad Maurya had written to Governor Ram Naik saying that the three members never sat together to decide the name of the Lokayukta.
However, the UP government in its latest reply said that there was only a two-member committee consisting of the Chief Minister and the Leader of Opposition for the selection of the Lokayukta and the two had already held a meeting.
As far as the role of the chief justice is concerned, the government clarified, the selection panel had just to consult him.

"The chief justice has already been consulted. But the government is not bound by his advice and opinion," the government said in its reply.

Leader of Opposition and member of the selection committee Swami Prasad Maurya, however, insists that the consensus of all the three members was mandatory for the selection of the Lokayukta.
"I had discussions with the chief minister Akhilesh who told me that the matter has been discussed with the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court who has given his approval in going ahead with the selection process," Maurya said.
"But, later, I came to know that no discussion had been held with him....Five to six meetings had been held in this connection so far but the Chief Justice had not been present in any of them," Maurya said.

The BSP leader took exception to government's view that the approval of the Chief Justice was not mandatory and only informing him was sufficient, pressing that the consensus among the three members was necessary.