PIL for Lokayukta: SC seeks copy of 2011 Uttarakhand law

The Supreme Court today sought a copy of the 2011 Uttarakhand law on Lokayukta from a person who has filed a PIL seeking a direction to the state government to appoint the ombudsman.
A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice R Banumathi, which did not issue notice today on the plea, asked BJP leader and advocate Ashwani Kumar Upadhaya, who has filed the PIL, to furnish a copy of the Act within two weeks.
"This is the Bill, where is the Act (the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act-2011)," the court asked and adjourned the hearing on the plea.
Upadhaya, in his plea, has said the Act was one of the "best and effective" and was "unanimously passed" by the Assembly in 2011.

"This writ petition is being filed ...For implementation of the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act, 2011. Uttarakhand is without the Lokayukta since September 2013, while more than 700 complaints related to corruption are pending," the plea said.
The Uttarakhand law brings "the Chief Minister, all Ministers, all Legislators and all Government Servants under the ambit of the Lokayukta with a provision of punishment up to life imprisonment and forfeiture of property", it said.

Former Chief Ministers, Ministers, MLAs and retired officials also come under its purview, the plea said.
The provisions of the Act said the government should implement the Act within 180 days, but "instead of appointing the Lokayukta, Government passed a new Bill".

"Corruption is an insidious plague that has a wide range of corrosive effects on society. It undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violation of human rights...," it said.