INDIA
Justice Mehta’s name was sent to the chief minister’s office about 20 days back and a response is awaited, sources said.
There’s finally some development that may end the impasse over the appointment of lok ayukta in Gujarat. It has been learnt that the office of the chief justice of Gujarat high court has sent the name of retired justice RA Mehta to the state government for notification of his appointment to the post, reliable sources in the Congress said. Justice Mehta’s name was sent to the chief minister’s office about 20 days back and a response is awaited, the sources said.
Justice Mehta’s name is believed to have the approval of both the Opposition Congress and the Governor. Reliable sources in the Congress said that his name was suggested because the government apparently did not accept Justice SD Dave’s nomination made over six months back.
“The CM had written to the chief justice seeking the appointment of another retired judge, Justice JR Vora, as the Lokayukta. But Justice Vora’s name did not have the approval of the leader of opposition. And, later, Justice Dave refused to take the assignment. After this the chief minister again wrote to the chief justice seeking Justice Vora’s appointment as lok ayukta. But this time, Justice Mehta’s name was suggested, and the last communication took place approximately 20 days back,” a source said.
It might be noted that social activist Anna Hazare stayed at Justice Mehta’s residence during his visit to the city last month. Justice Dave was not available for comment despite repeated efforts and Justice Mehta refused to comment. Officially, the government has maintained a silence on the new nomination. Minister of legal and parliamentary affairs Dilip Sanghani said he had met the secretary of the department on Tuesday itself but was not told of this development.
The buzz is that officials in the CMO are directly monitoring this matter. Sources in the Congress said that they are at the end of their tether on the issue and if Justice Mehta’s name is also not accepted by the government, the governor might be forced to use the special powers provided by the Constitution and appoint the lok ayukta.
Seemingly, Justice Mehta's name has also been forwarded without 'consultation' with the state government. As recently as last Saturday, BJP national spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad, who was in Ahmedabad at the time, was blaming the Congress for non-appointment of a Lokayukta as the leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil had not agreed to meet for a "consultation".
The delay in appointment of a lok ayukta in Gujarat has attracted much controversy in the past few months, particularly since activist Anna Hazare's fast for the Jan Lokpal Bill. The BJP and the Congress have been trading charges over who was responsible for the delay.
Raima Sen mourns Bharat Dev Varma's demise, pens emotional note for 'great father, great husband'
DNA TV Show: Ahead of Maharashtra poll results, MVA, Mahayuti engage in resort politics
Maharashtra: Stage set for assembly poll results; Mahayuti, MVA confident of their victories
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
'That’s wild': Noida man turns cigarette butts into teddy bears in viral video, watch
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...