By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government has notified the controversial Meghalaya Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2013 after Governor Dr KK Paul gave his assent to the Bill on Wednesday.
The State Assembly passed the amended Bill on April 18 after incorporating several suggestions put forward by the former Governor RS Mooshahary.
Mooshahary had rejected the earlier Bill of 2012 after finding several loopholes.
After the House passed the Bill, it was sent again to the Governor for his assent.
With the present Governor giving his approval and subsequently the Government notifying it, the Bill has become an Act and now an exercise is on to form the search committee to find out suitable names as functionaries of Lokayukta.
Though the Governor gave his assent to the new Meghalaya Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2013, it is not free from drawbacks.
Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma had assured the House in April that the Bill would be brought back for amendment in the next session following the demand of the Opposition members to make the Lokayukta more effective. The major defects of the Meghalaya Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2013 are that the complaint procedure is complicated as there is a punitive action against the complainant by way of fine and imprisonment if he cannot prove his charges. The Bill also does not take into account the complaints related to acts committed 10 years ago. Moreover, there is no independence of Lokayukta as its members can be removed by a simple majority of the Legislature. The grade 4 employees are exempted from the purview of the Bill and the Government servants cannot make any complaints to Lokayukta. The Press is also barred from availing the proceedings of the investigation of Lokayukta.