The appointment of Gujarat Lokayukta created turmoil in Parliament on Friday with Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party forcing several adjournments of both the Houses demanding recall of Governor Kamala Beniwal for what they alleged was a "dictatorial" act.
The Supreme Court judgement is based on this paradox. Gujarat will now have a Lokayukta whom the council of ministers never recommended. Constitutional short-cuts do not establish either good governance or good precedents, says Arun Jaitley.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Tuesday led party MPs from Gujarat protesting outside Parliament House against the appointment of R A Mehta as Lokayukta by state Governor Kamla Beniwal without consulting the Narendra Modi government and demanded her removal for "bypassing" established norms.
The BJP gave notices in both Houses of Parliament for suspension of Question Hour to discuss the appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat by the Governor without the consent of the state government.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking for the "immediate recall" of Governor Kamla Beniwal for bypassing the state government and appointing Justice (retired) R A Mehta as the Lokayukta. Here's the full text dated September 1, 2011.
The Gujarat high court on Wednesday issued a fresh notice to Justice R A Mehta (retired) who was appointed as the Lokayukta by the governor bypassing the Narendra Modi government. The state government has challenged the governor's decision in the high court.
The controversial Gujarat Lokayukta bill, which curtails the primacy of the Governor and high court chief justice in the appointment of the anti-corruption ombudsman, was on Tuesday passed by the assembly amid protests from the opposition Congress.
Civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the appointment of Justice (retired) R A Mehta as Gujarat Lokayukta by Governor Kamla Beniwal, saying the verdict reflects that nobody is above the law.
Expressing its reservations on the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the appointment of Gujarat Lokayukta, the Bharatiya Janata Party said the view of the state government should be respected in such matters and the governor should not exercise discretionary powers.
Modi has a real challenge if the allegations of corruption pick up momentum. Modi was struggling to improve his image with the minorities but now he will have to convince the majority that his deals were clean and he is above board, says Sheela Bhatt.
Unfazed by the high court verdict on the Gujarat Lokayukta appointment issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said though the case will now go to a three-judge bench, politically the governor's decision is untenable as she is bound to act as per the advice of the Council of Ministers.
In the continuing tug of war between Narendra Modi government and the governor, the state assembly on Tuesday passed the Gujarat Lokayukta Ayog Bill 2013 for a second time without incorporating any major changes sought by Raj Bhavan, setting the stage for a fresh confrontation.
Gujarat Lokayukta Justice R A Mehta's resignation letter is a stinging indictment of the Narendra Modi government's obstructionist attitude towards a constitutional watchdog.
"This is nothing but mockery of the whole judicial process," Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal said in stinging remarks against the Narendra Modi government as she returned the new Lokayukta Bill for reconsideration by the legislative assembly.
With the lengthy battle over his appointment finally settled by the apex court, the ball is now in Justice Mehta's court. He has been non-committal over his appointment as the state legal ombudsman. All eyes are now on his return from abroad on August 5. Sheela Bhatt reports.
Sharpening his attack on Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi today said the Bharatiya Janata Party leader would have "ousted" even Atal Bihari Vajpayee like party veterans Jaswant Singh and L K Advani had the former PM continued being in public life.
Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday launched a scathing attack on Bharatiya Janata Party saying the party which indulges in "doublespeak" on corruption cannot question the prime minister on the issue as the UPA has taken graft head on and its ministers have resigned on "mere" allegations.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government stands 'exposed' after it compiled a proposal to amend the state's Lokayukta Commission Bill to leave the Lokayukta powerless, extracting all prosecutorial powers from the position.
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