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Tripura to amend Lokayukta Act

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Agartala: The Tripura government has decided to amend the Tripura Lokayukta Act 2010 following criticism from political parties.

Replying to a query in the state assembly on Thursday, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar stated that the Act would be amended incorporating all relevant clauses and sections covering all government employees and public functionaries.

Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), two-third geography of the state and top level bureaucrats upto Grade C had been kept out of the purview of the Lokayukta Act.

The opposition legislators alleged that Lokayukta did not have power to investigate any corruption independently as in every case it would require approval from the party in power according to the existing Act.

Controversy erupted with the move for enactment of separate Lokayukta Act, which also got arrest from the Governor.

The Constitution gives rights to formulate such an Act included in the Concurrent List to Parliament and Assembly and ADC had got no jurisdiction to formulate such Act, Leader of the opposition Ratan Lal Nath said.

“It is well known that corruption is widespread in the ADC areas. The Governor has to notify the Bill as approved, failing which the same would be deemed unconstitutional and illegal”, he stated.

Responding to the supplementary query, Mr Sarkar said, “We adopt laws in the Assembly after a detailed discussion on the Act earlier in the House, however, we are still considering if government employees in ADC areas would be considered covered under the TTAADC Lokayukta Act, 2010 in the amendment”.

The Lokayukta did not have any power to institute investigation independently even against a patty public servant in existing Act, which is against the very siprit of anti-corruption law in India, Opposition legislators alleged.

Despite strong objection from the opposition Congress and Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) and left constituents–RSP and CPI– the state government had passed the Act taking the advantage of majority count in the state assembly.

According to the Act, if any complaints against the Chief Minister has to be voted by the majority member in the assembly, which is never possible because Chief Minister is the leader of the majority members. In case of other ministers and the MLAs, it has to be consented by the Chief Minister and the speaker respectively. (UNI)

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