Ahmedabad: Former judge RA Mehta had denied becoming the Lokayukta of Gujarat state. Justice Mehta writes a letter to Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal and said, “A Lokayukta unwanted by the government cannot get all the necessary and timely support from a reluctant government. How can I take responsibility and become the Lokayukta when my objectivity and credibility are not accepted by the government and public functionaries whose conduct the Lokayukta may have to investigate?”
The post of Gujarat’s Lokayukta had been vacant since 2003 before Justice Mehta was selected.
Justice Mehta says that the Gujarat government’s letter to him said he had been appointed by the Governor and the swearing in had to be organized in the Raj Bhawan or Governor’s home. “As if the government has no interest or role in the matter!”
Justice Mehta noted that even after three Supreme Court judgments, “The reluctance of the state government to notify the Lokayukta appointment is surprising, but not unexpected.”
Modi’s government unsuccessfully asked the Supreme Court to cancel Justice Mehta’s appointment in January this year after losing its case in the Gujarat High Court. In July, the Supreme Court dismissed the curative petition of the Gujarat government.
State Government has said that the state governor did not consult the cabinet before picking the Lokayukta. Justice Mehta was also accused of an “anti-government bias”, an argument that was rejected by the court.
Bureau Report
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