Ahmadabad: Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal’s move to return the Gujarat Lokayukta Aayog Bill 2013, passed by the state Assembly in April this year, and has set the stage for fresh confrontation with Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The Governor has not given her assent to Gujarat Lokayukta Aayog Bill 2013, which was passed in the state Assembly in April this year, and has sent it back to the government for review,” state government spokesperson and Finance Minister Nitin Patel told a news agency today.
Kamla Beniwal’s objection was expected since the bill proposes to give all powers to appoint the state Lokayukta or ombudsman to a committee headed by the Chief Minister, virtually eliminating the governor as well as the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court from the process. The state government may resubmit the bill to the Governor in the assembly session that starts on September 30. The Governor will have to give her assent if the bill is sent again. Sources said.
The state assembly had passed the bill after the Modi government lost a two-year long legal battle in the Supreme Court over the appointment of retired judge Justice R A Mehta as Lokayukta by the Governor. She had made that appointment without consulting the state cabinet, much to Modi’s chagrin.
Even after he lost his battle first in the Gujarat High Court and later in the Supreme Court, Modi made no notification towards the appointment of the state Lokayukta. Last month, Mehta resigned, severely criticizing the Gujarat Chief Minister.
Amid public spats, Modi has repeatedly demanded that Governor Beniwal be recalled.
Gujarat has not had a functioning Lokayukta for years. The position was vacant for eight years till Justice Mehta’s appointment was announced in 2011.
Bureau Report
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