SHILLONG: The selection committee on Meghalaya Lokayukta will meet on July 24 to select the chairman and members for the anti-graft body.
Supreme Court advocate and counsel for Meghalaya Ranjan Mukherjee said on Sunday the meeting on July 24 may finally ensure the official formation of the Lokayukta.
Earlier on July 10, during a hearing on the matter, the Supreme Court had pulled up the states, including Meghalaya, which had not implemented the Lokayukta.
While the Apex Court allowed three more months for other states to complete the process, Mukherjee said he had apprised the court of a meeting scheduled on July 24 to finalise the matter.
The court was also apprised of the law and order in the city that had delayed the appointment process.
The meeting of the selection committee to decide on Meghalaya Lokayukta was scheduled on June 4 but it was not held.
The committee was to shortlist the names to be appointed as a chairman and other members for the Lokayukta. The state government had decided to effect the appointment of chairperson by June 30 but in vain.
Sources said a chairperson will be appointed to make the Lokayukta functional and later, in the due course of time, other members will be appointed.
The Meghalaya Lokayukta Act states that the chairperson of the Lokayukta will be an individual who is or has been a Chief Justice of the High Court or a Judge of the High Court or an eminent person who fulfils the eligibility of having an impeccable integrity and knowledge of the anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance, including insurance and banking, law and management for at least 25 years.
While the term of the chairman and four members is five years, they can remain in office till the age of 70 as per the Lokayukta Act. The minimum age of the chairperson and members should be 45 years.
Out of the four members to be appointed, two will be from the judiciary. A person will be eligible to be appointed as a judicial member if he is or has been a Judge of the High Court or is eligible to be a Judge of the High Court.
For members other than a judicial member, the candidate should be a person of impeccable integrity, outstanding ability having special knowledge and expertise of not less than 25 years in the matters relating to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance, law and management.
