[The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 had come into force on January 16 2014, under the preceding UPA regime. Two years and ten months have elapsed since the Modi government took charge on May 26 2014. Yet the Lokpal remains to be appointed. And, thereby, the Act remains to be operationalised.
Quote “Unless the proposed amendment making Leader of the Largest Opposition party as Leader of Opposition is passed by Parliament, the Lokpal can’t be appointed,” (Mukul) Rohatgi (Attorney General) said. Unquote While a multitude of bills have been passed under the incumbent dispensation, that too on occasions using various subterfuges, the subject "amendment" has not even been tabled in the parliament. Clearly shows up the deliberate refusal to go ahead. Why, btw, is Anna Hazare hybernating?] http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/supreme-court-reserves-verdict-on-pleas-seeking-appointment-of-lokpal/story-uLMn15x91G4shCsNhtSo3N.html Supreme Court reserves verdict on pleas seeking appointment of Lokpal INDIA Updated: Mar 28, 2017 21:44 IST PTI New Delhi During hearing, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the Lokpal cannot be appointed in the current scenario.(HT File Photo) The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking the appointment of Lokpal in the country. A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, “We have heard the arguments of all the parties. Judgement (is) reserved.” During the hearing, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the Lokpal cannot be appointed in the current scenario as amendments regarding the definition of the Leader of Opposition in the Lokpal Act was pending in Parliament. As per the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act of 2013, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha will be part of the Lokpal selection panel. At present, there is no Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He said that the Congress, the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha, lacks requisite number of MPs. Therefore, the Leader of Opposition post was not granted to it. ***“Unless the proposed amendment making Leader of the Largest Opposition party as Leader of Opposition is passed by Parliament, the Lokpal can’t be appointed,” Rohatgi said.*** [Emphasis added.] Senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, appearing for NGO Common Cause, said that even though the Lokpal Bill was passed by the Parliament in 2013 and came into effect in 2014, the Lokpal is not being appointed by the government deliberately. He said that the Lokpal Act mandates that the Lokpal should be appointed expeditiously. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
