The government has notified new Lokpal search committee rules, giving it more freedom to recommend names for chairperson and members of the anti-corruption body outside the list provided by the Department of Personnel and Training.
The move assumes significance as the government decided to go ahead with the formation of the search committee despite Congress leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, boycotting meetings of the Lokpal selection panel.
In yet another embarrassment to the government, former Supreme Court judge K T Thomas on Monday turned down the offer to head Lokpal search committee, days after jurist Fali Nariman opted out of the panel.
The search committee will forward the names to the selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India or his nominee, Lok Sabha Speaker, the leader of the largest opposition party and an eminent jurist.
The Department of Personnel and Training has expedited efforts to select seven members and chairperson of the Search Committee for Lokpal, official sources said.
The Centre has declined to divulge details of persons who have applied for the posts of chairperson and members of anti-corruption body Lokpal, saying these are "personal" in nature and cannot be disclosed.
Taking the first step towards appointment of Lokpal, the government has decided to modify rules to give more powers to the search committee mandated to recommend names for appointment of chairperson and members of the anti-corruption body.
Justices Dilip B Bhosale, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Abhilasha Kumari and Ajay Kumar Tripathi have been appointed as judicial members in the anti-corruption ombudsman.
The AG said that the names for the search committee have not been finalised yet.
An official said Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty, a judicial member of Lokpal, has been given additional charge of the post of chairperson.
Justice Ghose, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2017, is a member of the National Human Rights Commission.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said the refusal of former Supreme Court judge K T Thomas to head the Lokpal Search Committee has dealt a "double blow" to the government and exposed the Congress' plan of hurriedly putting in place the anti-corruption ombudsman before it goes out of power.
The government will go ahead with the appointment of chairperson and members in Lokpal once search committee rules are amended, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.
The government is learnt to have deleted the term 'minorities' from the Lokpal Bill with regard to the provision of having 50 per cent quota in the Lokpal bench and the Search Committee.
The fresh plea has sought a direction to the Centre for appointment of the Lokpal.
The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Centre on a petition filed by an NGO questioning the entire selection process for appointment of chairperson and members of the Lokpal and seeking its stay.
Highlights of the government's new Lokpal Bill
Raising strong objections to the "highly improper" procedure adopted by the Union government in making key appointments to the posts of Lokpal, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley has charged the department of personnel with diluting the role of the Selection and Search Committees.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to interpret Leader of Opposition provision for the purpose of appointment of Lokpal in which LoP is a selection committee member and asked the Centre to make its stand clear within two weeks, saying the legislation cannot be put in "cold storage".
Citing overlapping of functions, a parliamentary committee on Monday recommended integrating Central Vigilance Commission and anti-corruption wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation to work directly under the command and control of Lokpal to deal with corruption cases.
The Lokpal can't be appointed in the current scenario as amendments regarding the definition of the Leader of Opposition in the Lokpal Act was pending in Parliament, AG said.
While the Centre said that the amendment bill is pending in Parliament to include the leader of largest opposition party, a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur said that Parliament, by not amending the law, cannot frustrate the mandate for appointment of Lokpal.
It said no payment has so far been made towards rental charges for the Lokpal office at 'The Ashok' hotel.
In a sharp reaction to Rahul Gandhi's comments on the Lokpal Bill, the Bhyaratiya Janata Party on Saturday alleged Congress and its allies are blocking the passage of the legislation and it is ready to support the measure even amid the din and without a discussion.
Sharpening his attack against the Congress, Narendra Modi on Friday said an anti-Congress storm was brewing in the country and it would intensify into a 'tsunami', which the party would not be able to survive in the Lok Sabha elections.
After much delay, the landmark Lokpal Bill was on Tuesday passed by the Rajya Sabha, marking a step closer to enactment of a new law under which an anti-corruption ombudsman would be set up.
Hazare, 81, had started his indefinite fast on January 30 over appointment of anti-corruption watchdogs.
He said though there was a "ray of hope", certain issues he had flagged remained unresolved.
A bench comprising CJI and Justice Sanjiv Khanna was hearing a PIL filed by NGO Common Cause challenging the appointment of Rao as interim CBI director.
Like the Hindi film industry, where formulas for hit films are done to death, the political fraternity in India is making an all out effort to 're-brand' itself to follow the hit script of the AAP, says Upasna Pandey
The petition has sought laying down of specific mechanisms to ensure transparency in the process of appointment of CBI director.
A petition has sought laying down of specific mechanisms to ensure transparency in the process of appointment of CBI director.
Justice Gogoi will be sworn in as the next CJI on October 3, a day after Justice Misra's tenure ends.
'No one institution can cleanse it: Not the courts, government or activists.' 'And least of all the Indian Police Service,' argues Shekhar Gupta.
Despite the recent electoral reverses, Rahul is getting ready to walk the fire once more. The question is whether he will get burned or burnished in the process, says Saroj Nagi.
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