NEW DELHI:Lokpal appointments have been further delayed with the Centre saying the search committee responsible for helping with the selection of the Lokpal chairperson and members will be constituted after Parliament passes an amendment Bill in this regard.
The Centre introduced the Lokpal and Lokayuktas and other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2014, in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 2014, and the Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, which is considering the Bill.
The constitution of the search panel will take place only after the Bill is passed by Parliament, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said in a notice on Tuesday.
The DoPT had received applications in response to its advertisement and circular issued on January 17 and 18 last year, respectively.
After a number of writ petitions were filed in various High Courts and in the Supreme Court challenging some of the provisions of the Lokpal selection rules, the Centre notified new rules for the search committee in August 2014.
The Department of Personnel and Training said the Centre’s role had been curtailed from notifying the vacancy in the anti-corruption body to providing such assistance as may be required by the committee.
In its notice, the DoPT also said the quorum of the selection committee was at present incomplete.