Govt amends Act to make Lokayukta functional

SHILLONG: The state government has amended the Lokayukta Act to pave way for the chairman of the Meghalaya Lokayukta to become fully functional.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the original act was amended since the Lokayukta in the state currently has its chairman as the lone member.
The amendment has been brought to ensure that chairperson of the Lokayukta becomes functional. The proposal which was amended is Section 5 of the original Act which says provided that no decision of the Lokayukta shall be invalidated due to the vacancy created due to non-availability and non-appointment of chairperson or members,” Tynsong said.
It may be mentioned that Pranoy Kumar Musahary was appointed as the chairperson of the Lokayukta recently. Besides the chairperson, four members constitute Meghalaya Lokayukta.
The appointment of the Lokayukta came four and a half years after the Meghalaya Lokayukta Act, 2014, was notified by the government in March 2014.
In July this year, the select committee had approved the name of Musahary, retired judge of the Gauhati High Court, as the Lokayukta chief.
There was pressure from the Supreme Court for states, including Meghalaya, to complete the process of appointing Lokayukta at the earliest.