Supreme Court asks Centre about delay in appointing Lokpal
The apex court was hearing a plea about the three-year delay in implementing the Lokpal.
The Lokpal Bill was passed in the Parliament in 2013 when the Congress-led UPA government was in power.
The selection committee for the Lokpal includes the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge, and an eminent jurist.
However, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, the Congress failed to gain enough seats that would make it the Leader of the Opposition.
According to media reports the central government had initially decided to keep the post vacant. Even though it later decided to include the Congress in the selection panels for the CBI chief, the Information Commission and the Vigilance Commission, the Congress was not cleared to be part of the Lokpal selection.
The apex court has therefore been asked to intervene in a plea by a group of NGOs and activists for the appointment of the Lokpal.
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