Lokpal appointment: Meeting convened with PM, CJI and others, Centre tells SC
Centre tells Supreme Court that a meeting has been convened between the PM Narendra Modi, CJI, Lok Sabha Speaker , leader of Opposition to discuss the appointment of a Lokpal on 1 March
New Delhi: The Centre told the Supreme Court on Friday that a meeting had been convened between the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, Lok Sabha Speaker and leader of the largest party in opposition to discuss the appointment of a Lokpal on 1 March.
A bench headed by justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the secretary of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to file an affidavit indicating the steps being taken in this regard by 5 March.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in 2014 by advocate Prashant Bhushan-led Common Cause, which challenged the constitutionality of the search committee rules for the appointment of Lokpal.
The apex court has repeatedly hauled up the government for not appointing a Lokpal.
The Centre, on its part, argued that in the absence of a leader of the opposition in Parliament, the selection committee could not be constituted.
In the Lok Sabha, the largest opposition party is the Congress which has only 44 members and lacks the requisite 10% of 545 seats, giving rise to the requirement to amend the Lokpal Act.
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was passed in 2013 to constitute a statutory body to inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries.
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