After a gap of seven long years, Gujarat finally got a Lokayukta. In an unprecedented move, the Gujarat Governor, Dr Kamla Beniwal appointed retired justice Ramesh Amritlal Mehta, 74, as the Lokayukta of the state last week. Entrusted with the new responsibility, Mehta, a low-profile individual who served as a judge of Gujarat High Court for 14 years, has decided to once again don his judge’s garb after hanging it up for good. With his significant judgments in the past associated with a discernable pro-poor image, Mehta's appointment has put an end to Gujarat's seven year wait for a Lokayukta.
Enrolled as an advocate on March 7, 1962, justice Mehta initiated his law practice as an advocate from Rajkot. A year later, he started practice in the Gujarat High Court. With a degree in BA (Hons) and LLB, he practiced law across a diverse landscape—constitutional, civil, criminal, company law, excise and labour law. This helped him in his next job as additional standing counsel to the Central Government from 1974 to 1978 and again in October 1982.
Prior to his appointment as an additional judge in Gujarat High Court in September 1983, Mehta also worked as advocate for Machhu Dam Inquiry Commission constituted by the Government of Gujarat. On June, 26, 1984 he was confirmed as a permanent Judge at the High Court.Perceived as tech-savvy and having a progressive mind, justice Mehta's tenure as the high court judge came as a boon for the poor, while those in power who indulged in irresponsible practices had to face the ire of the judiciary.
Some of his significant judgments included abolition of the carrying of night soil by scavengers and regularisation of street hawkers in Ahmedabad, which set a benchmark, not only for the judiciary, but also for the administration to think about the poor and less fortunate. His ruling in the Golana massacre case, one of the worst incidents of caste violence in Gujarat, provided guidelines for the administration and police to tackle future cases of caste and communal tensions. His report on the Surat floods in 2006, indicting the then irrigation minister Narottam Patel is an indication of his unbending approach to malfeasance.
An avid bird-watcher and keen on astronomy, justice Mehta is a family man, who preferred to serve his ailing mother over accepting an offer by the then chief justice of India, A M Ahmedi, for the post of the chief justice in any of the High Courts in India. He had refused to get a promotion transfer and stayed back in Ahmedabad.
Of late, he has become a supporter of the social activist and anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare for his mass movement and efforts to remove corruption from the country. Justice Mehta was also reported to be seen with Hazare during the latter's latest visit to Ahmedabad in May.