New Delhi: An eight-member search panel formed to select members of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal Tuesday held its first meeting, nearly four months after it was set up by the Modi government, officials said.
The committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, is understood to have discussed modalities related to the appointments of the chief and members of Lokpal, they said, without citing further details.
The meeting comes days after the Supreme Court set up a February-end deadline for the search committee to send a panel of names who could be considered for the appointment as chairman and members of Lokpal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection committee.
The apex court had on January 17 asked the search committee to complete its deliberations and recommend a panel of names of candidates, who could be considered for the chief and members of the Lokpal, by the end of February.
The Lokpal Act, which envisages establishment of the anti-graft body Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to look into cases of corruption against certain categories of public servants, was passed in 2013. The search committee, formed in September last year despite concerns raised by the Congress, has former chief of State Bank of India (SBI) Arundhati Bhattacharya, Prasar Bharati chairperson A. Surya Prakash and Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) head A.S. Kiran Kumar as members.
Besides them, former Allahabad High Court judge Sakha Ram Singh Yadav; former Gujarat Police head Shabbirhusein S Khandwawala; retired IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre Lalit K Panwar; and Ranjit Kumar are the other members of the panel.
The search committee was formed apparently ignoring the concerns raised by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who has been boycotting meetings of the selection panel, a senior government official said.
Mr Kharge had been boycotting the selection committee meeting on the pretext that he is not made a full-fledged member in the panel
