Ex-Jharkhand judge sworn in as Lokayukta of national capital
NEW DELHI: Retired Jharkhand High Court judge Harish Chandra Mishra was on Wednesday sworn in as the Lokayukta of the national capital. The oath of office was administered by Lt Governor Anil Baijal at a solemn ceremony held at the Raj Niwas.
The post of Lokayukta in Delhi has been lying vacant since the retirement of Rewa Khetrapal in December 2020. According to the notification dated March 15, Baijal appointed Justice (retired) Mishra as the Lokayukta.
Mishra will hold office for a term of five years from the date of his joining. He was also the Acting Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court. Last month, the AAP government told the High Court that the process of appointing a Lokayukta was going on.
The submission was made in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a direction to the AAP government to appoint a Lokayukta within one month as promised by the party in its election manifesto in 2020. In the PIL, it was alleged that complaints relating to corruption were lying unheard as the post had been vacant for more than a year.
The opposition parties also targeted the AAP government for not appointing the Lokayukta, thereby troubling the common people. Khetrapal was appointed Lokayukta in November 2015 by then L-G Najeeb Jung.