GUJARAT LOKAYUKTA

Gandhinagar: Gujarat governor Dr Kamla took the Narendra Modi government by surprise on Friday by appointing a close Anna Hazare aide and former justice of the Gujarat High Court, R A Mehta, as the new Lokayukta. Justice Mehta had hosted Hazare at his residence during his last visit to Ahmedabad in the month of May and he has been closely associated with civil society in Gujarat.
The governor’s order, based on the recommendation of the chief justice of Gujarat HC, came just after midnight and within a couple of hours of her talks with three senior state ministers who came to Raj Bhavan with a selection criteria that she outrightly ridiculed and rejected. While the Modi government knew she would act soon in the matter, few believed she would bypass the government and appoint a Lokayukta herself.
The governor took the action under Section 3 of the Gujarat Lokayukta Act, 1986, which gives her the right to appoint Lokayukta without consulting the government. She based her decision on legal opinion given by the Attorney General of India, while avoiding talking to the Advocate General of Gujarat. She was advised that not appointing a Lokayukta for more than seven years was irrational and that it was a matter of grave concern that there was no authority to probe affairs of the government.