After a gap of over two years, Delhi will be having a lokayukta. A consensus in this regard was reached on the name of Justice Reva Khetrapal after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta met on Tuesday at Raj Niwas.
Justice Reva Khetrapal, the former judge of Delhi High Court will be the next lokayukta of Delhi. The file pertaining to appointment of lokayukta Reva Khetrapal will be sent to President of India for final approval. The post has been lying vacant since two years.
Justice (retired) Khetrapal was chosen among retired Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, Bilal Nazki, retired Chief Justice of Haryana and Punjab High Court, Jasbir Singh. But sources said that Justice (retd) Kakru’s name, too, is doing the rounds. Delhi Government had proposed a panel for the post of lokayukta of Delhi.
Top sources told The Pioneer that Justice (retired) Khetrapal was chosen as new lokayukta of Delhi after consultation with Chief Justice Delhi High Court, lieutenant Governor, chief minister and leader of Opposition Vijendra Gupta.
The Arvind Kejriwal government was under pressure to appoint lokayukta. The AAP had promised of appointing lokayukta even before they came to power. However, their failure to appoint lokayukta in the first six months of their rule had got them lot of criticisms. Kejriwal had been profusely promoting the need of a lokpal government in the past. Kejriwal had
quit in February 2014 as the Chief Minister of Delhi after lokpal Bill was not implemented.
As per Delhi lokayukta and Uplokayukta Act, 1995, the lokayukta is appointed after consultations among the chief justice of high court, the chief minister and the leader of opposition in Delhi assembly.
BJP has sought to corner the AAP government alleging that it was delaying the appointment of lokayukta. The government had
told high court in the last hearing that all steps will be taken to ensure that the lokayukta is appointed by the end of October.