CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday granted the state government time till January 13 to file a report on the status of the Search Committee for appointment of a new chairperson and three members of the Odisha Lokayukta.
The court was hearing three separate PILs filed by Prabir Kumar Das, Manoranjan Sahoo and Satish Kumar Biswal on the prolonged delay in filling key vacancies in the Odisha Lokayukta, which has been non-functional for more than a year now, following the retirement of its chairperson and three members.
Earlier on September 1, taking serious note of the issue, the HC had directed the state government to file an affidavit within two weeks outlining steps taken to fill the vacancies. But on Wednesday, the state government taking the plea that there was a vacancy in the Search Committee, sought time till March to update on the panel.
However, the division bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MS Raman fixed January 13 for further hearing on the matter, directing the state government to come up with all relevant facts on that date.
According to the petitions, the chairperson, a judicial member and two other members retired on March 19, March 30, April 3 and August 7, 2024, respectively. As per section 6 of the Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014, the Governor is required to start process of appointment three months before expiry of tenure.
The petitions said the government’s inaction has rendered the Lokayukta defunct, halting the adjudication of corruption complaints. One of the petitioners had submitted RTI data indicating that 444 cases were registered in 2024, of which only 149 were disposed of. In 2025, 83 cases were registered up to May 31, but all remain pending due to the absence of a functioning bench. The Lokayukta was created to investigate corruption charges against public functionaries. Its effective functioning is vital for accountability in governance, the petitioners said.