(HT)
The government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday it was not possible to appoint a lokpal till Parliament cleared the changes proposed to the law governing the appointment of the anti-corruption watchdog.
Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi said the amendments to the definition of the leader of opposition in the lokpal act were pending with Parliament. “Currently there is a problem with the law due to which selection of lokpal cannot happen.In the absence of a leader of opposition, the appointment cannot be done,” the country’s top law officer told the court.
The court, which was hearing a bunch of petitions seeking appointment of the lokpal, reserved its verdict.Parliament in 2013 approved a law to create an independent anti-corruption agency after a delay of almost 50 years but the hiring of lokpal to run it has been stuck on the question of who should be on the appointment panel.
