The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the process of filing up the vacancy for an eminent jurist in the Lokpal selection committee was ongoing, PTI reported. Attorney General KK Venugopal told a bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the recommendation for a jurist had been made and the process of appointing the Lokpal would take place soon.
In response, the court said that it did not feel it was necessary to pass an order at this stage, but that the Lokpal should be appointed “at the earliest”. The bench then listed the matter for further hearing on May 15.
The bench was hearing a contempt of court petition filed by non-government organisation Common Cause. The NGO had alleged that the Centre had failed to appoint a Lokpal despite a Supreme Court directive on April 27 last year.
Senior advocate PP Rao was earlier appointed as an eminent jurist in the committee to select the Lokpal, but he died last year, leaving the post vacant.
In its order of April 27, the top court said there was no justification to keep the enforcement of the Lokpal Act suspended until Parliament passed amendments to it.
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