What were your first thoughts when you were appointed the Lokayukta of Delhi?
I never thought that I would be given an opportunity to serve people outside Jharkhand, post-retirement. So naturally, when I got the offer for this post, it was a surprise for me. Nonetheless, I see it as a God-given opportunity to serve the people of Delhi and I accept it with all humility.
What is your first major task?
This position has remained vacant for a long time and this may be the reason why people have lost interest in this institution. So, my first major task would be to revive the interest of the public in this institution so that they can start approaching the Lokayukta for redressal of their grievances.
There are many pending cases against politicians and MLAs. How do you plan to sort them?
To safeguard this situation, the investigating agency of the Lokayukta has to be made more effective and powerful so that when any matter is brought to the Lokayukta, a preliminary inquiry can be made to find out whether there is any political vendetta or settling scores or whether there is prima facie material supporting the allegations. If it is found that the matter is filed for the former reason, it needs to be dropped at the threshold. But if the allegation is supported by some prima facie material, the Lokayukta should proceed with the inquiry and bring it to its logical conclusion, irrespective of who the concerned person is or to which party he belongs, and irrespective of the political consequences, if any. The only concern of the Lokayukta should be that corruption has to be dealt with zero tolerance.
What are your major priorities?
This story is from the April 18, 2022 edition of India Legal.
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This story is from the April 18, 2022 edition of India Legal.
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