New Delhi: The Centre sought the Supreme Court’s nod on Wednesday to place a Parliamentary Standing Committee report before the court on the issue of appointment of Lokpal, India’s anti-corruption ombudsman.
“There are a lot of issues with the law that the government is considering to amend, which is why the appointment of Lokpal has been put on hold,” the government’s top law officer attorney general Mukul Rohatgi told the court.
Rohatgi said the lack of a leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha is just one of the issues blocking Lokpal’s appointment. A bench comprising chief justice T.S. Thakur, justices D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao heard a plea by non-profit Common Cause questioning the delay in appointing Lokpal.
The selection committee to appoint Lokpal under the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 comprises of the five persons including the leader of opposition, and the whole process had been stalled due to the lack of the leader of opposition in Parliament.
Senior advocate Shanti Bhushan who appeared on behalf of the petitioners asked the court to settle the law on the definition of leader of opposition. The case will be heard next on 14 December.
