So, why exactly is the state government so apprehensive of the new Lok Ayukta, Justice (retd) RA Mehta?
Some digging into Justice Mehta's past revealed that when he started his career as a lawyer some five decades back, he worked for a couple of years as a junior in the Congress legal cell convener Krishnakant Vakharia's office. Another instance, which is apparently being interpreted as an anti-government stand, is when he headed a committee constituted by civil society and activists to probe the cause of floods in Surat in 2006. The committee had concluded that the disaster was due to human error and had blamed 'mismanagement' by government agencies for the loss of life and property.
A curious aspect of this controversy is that Justice Mehta , shares a comfortable camaraderie with Justice (retired) MB Shah who has been appointed by the state government to head a commission to look into allegations of corruption against it. The two justices rely on each other for professional advice and help.
While Modi has handpicked Justice Shah to investigate crucial allegations against him and his government, he seems to distrust Justice Mehta's despite Justice Shah's endorsement of his integrity and professionalism.
For instance, Justice Shah had chosen Justice Mehta to help him in a Centre-appointed commission last year to enquire into illegal mining in the country. They have been working in the same office for the past year and have also submitted an interim report to Parliament.
When DNA had interviewed Justice Mehta after his appointment as Lokayukta, one of the first things he had said was "why would anyone distrust Justice Shah?" Justice Shah has been chosen time and again by Congress-led UPA government to head crucial inquiries. He is also in the Special Investigation Team set up by the SC to inquire into black money stashed abroad.
The past few days have seen some serious allegations levelled at Justice Mehta who was selected by the chief justice of Gujarat and, last week, appointed as Lok Ayukta by the governor.
When the governor appointed the Lok Ayukta bypassing the council of ministers, within hours the Modi government had challenged the appointment in the high court. When the court refused to stay the appointment, he wrote to the Prime Minister demanding that the governor be recalled.
