AGARTALA: The Tripura government on Friday appointed veteran lawyer KN Bhattacharjee as the new Lokayukta of the state to deal with the complaints of corruption against public servants and administrative functionaries under the Tripura Lokayukta Act, 2008.
Bhattacharjee will be the third Lokayukta of the state and the first-ever lawyer to be appointed to the post. Justice Pradip Kumar Sarkar, former judge of Gujarat and Guwahati high courts, was appointed as the first Lokayukta of Tripura in 2012. He was succeeded by former judge of Kolkata and Andhra Pradesh high courts, Justice Subal Baidya, in 2017.
However, the post had been lying vacant after Justice Baidya relinquished office last year on completion of his three-year term. Recently, the chief minister, in consultation with the speaker and leader of the opposition, recommended the senior advocate of Tripura high court as Lokayukta to the Governor.
In a notification, the general administration (AR) department said that in exercise of the power conferred by section-3 of the Act, the Governor is pleased to appoint KN Bhattacharjee as Lokayukta of Tripura for a three-year term with effect from the date he assumes charge.
