The Orissa High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the State Government asking its Chief Secretary and law Secretary to file their counters within three weeks on a public interest litigation (PIl) writ seeking immediate appointment of lokayukta in the State under the Odisha lokayukta Act of 2014.
Former Puri MlA Uma Ballav Rath has filed the PIl craving the indulgence of the High Court towards the malafide intension of the Government by consciously not appointing lokayukta under the law, thereby keeping the said forum defunct for over three years now.
After preliminary hearing on the petition, a Division Bench of the court headed by Chief Justice Vineet Saran issued notices to the Government, informed the petitioner’s advocate Mr Chinmay Mishra.
Senior Advocate and former Advocate General Jayant Das is arguing the case on behalf of the petitioner.
The petition says that after the death of Justice PK Patra, the last lok Pal of the State, in January 2013, the office of the lok Pal is defunct, thereby depriving People of their statutory and Constitutional rights in exposing corrupt practices of public functionaries.
This is due to the inaction of the Government in appointing a lokayukta, the petitioner has alleged.
The petition has further urged the court to direct the Government to immediately publish the Odisha lokayukta Act-2014 in the official gazette, frame rules thereto and establish lokayukta as per Section 3 of the Act within a stipulated date.
“Not doing so, even after the Act came into force for more than three years now after the President’s assent, is tantamount to ultra-vires to the principles of the Doctrine of Purposive Construction, the petition has said.