Former Supreme Court judge Pinaki Chandra Ghose became the first Lokpal of the country with his appointment along with other eight members on March 19.
Besides Justice (retd.) Ghose, other judicial members are Justice (retd.) Dilip B. Bhosale, Justice (retd.) P.K. Mohanty, Justice (retd.) Abhilasha Kumari and Justice (retd.) A.K. Tripathi. The non-judicial members include former Sashastra Seema Bal chief Archana Ramasundaram, ex-Maharashtra Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, Mahender Singh, and I.P. Gautam.
Justice (retd.) Ghose’s appointment has come nearly five years after the Lokpal Act was notified on January 16, 2014 after it was passed in 2013 following a countrywide anti-corruption movement. The law provides for a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in States to probe cases of corruption against top public servants including the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers.
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Justice (retd.) Ghose’s name was finalised and recommended by a Selection Committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and eminent jurist Mukul Rohatgi. The government was prompted to make the selection after the Supreme Court set a February-end deadline.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is part of the committee, did not attend the meeting after he was invited as “special invitee”. Mr. Kharge had refused to attend earlier meetings also, protesting at being invited as “special invitee”.
Justice (retd.) Ghose is currently member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He retired from the Supreme Court on May 27, 2017. He assumed charge as Supreme Court judge on March 8, 2013. His was among the top 10 names short-listed by the Lokpal Search Committee.
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