The Supreme Court Monday sought response of the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea seeking direction to the state to amend law to bring the office of chief minister under the purview of state ombudsman, Lokayukta.
The apex court agreed to examine the plea that has sought a direction to the state government for amending the 43-year-old state law -- the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta and UpLokayukta Act, 1975 -- to bring the Chief Minister under purview of the ombudsman to ensure effective control over corrupt activities.
"Issue notice returnable in six weeks," said a bench of Chief Justice Ranan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
The PIL, filed by advocate Shiv Kumar Tripathi, said that the existing status of the Lokayukta Act does not make the ombudsman "powerful enough to serve the purpose and object for which it was enacted".
"The Lokayukta of the state of Uttar Pradesh is not competent to proceed against the Chief Minister for any corrupt action in which he has been found guilty of