A Division bench of the Bombay High
Court at Goa comprising of Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Bharati Dangre
will on January 13th hear the plea by the Goa Government
seeking an extension of a further three months to fill the vacancy of the Lokayukta.
The High Court on 23rd September
last year after hearing a petition filed by Adv. Aires Rodrigues over the
failure of the Government to duly initiate the process of selecting the
new Lokayukta had directed the government to take effective steps to
fill up the post of Lokayukta as expeditiously as possible and in any
case within three months which deadline ended on 23rd December.
The High Court in its order had observed that
taking into consideration the mandate as well as the purpose of enactment of
the Lokayukta Act, the vacancy had to be filled as expeditiously as
possible so that the Institution of Goa Lokayukta functions in the
State.
The Government in its application now seeking
an extension of three months has stated that several officials in the
Administration of the State have since September 2020 tested positive for
COVID-19 including the Chief Minister of Goa.
While drawing the attention of the Court that the Goa Lokayukta Act
was enacted to provide for the establishment of the Institution of Lokayukta to
inquire into grievances and allegations against Public functionaries, Adv.
Rodrigues in his petition filed in August last year had stated that despite
being fully aware that Lokayukta Justice P.K.Misra was due to demit
office on 17th September, the government had done nothing to
start the process to look for the next Lokayukta.
Adv. Rodrigues had further stated that it appeared that the
State Government was not keen to appoint the next Lokayukta so as to
give public officials a free hand to indulge in acts of Corruption and
maladministration and that the functioning of the Lokayukta and the
cases currently pending before it would come to a grinding halt.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sudarshen Reddy was on 8th March
2013 appointed as Goa’s first Lokayukta who assumed charge on 14th March.
Within six months suddenly on 18th September 2013 Sudarshen
Reddy without citing any reasons left Goa in a huff after tendering his
resignation which was accepted by the Goa Governor on 17th October
2013.
Retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court Justice P.K.Misra on
24th April 2016 was appointed as Goa’s second Lokayukta and
he assumed charge on 28th of April 2016 while his term ended on
17th September last year with the post now lying vacant for almost four months.
