Former Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose tipped to be India's first Lokpal

Mar 17 (AZINS) The name of former Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose is said to be in active consideration for appointment as the chief of country's first Lokpal, the anti-corruption ombudsman, officials said Sunday.

The Lokpal Act, which envisages establishment of anti-graft body Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to look into cases of corruption against certain categories of public servants, was passed in 2013.

Justice Ghose, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2017, is a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

His name for the post is understood to be in active consideration by the Lokpal selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they said.

There was no official announcement of his appointment by the government.

His appointment, if made by the government, may trigger a controversy as Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had boycotted the selection panel's meet on Friday.

The Centre had urged Kharge to be a part of the selection process after the apex court gave it ten days to choose the dates on which the Selection Committee would meet to appoint a Lokpal.

The Committee was scheduled to start the process of choosing candidates on Friday.

“A Special Invitee would not have any rights of participation in the process of selection of the Lokpal and I cannot accept the opposition being made voiceless in a critical matter”, the letter to the Prime Minister read.

In his letter, the Congress leader also alleged that the central Government had been “using his refusal to attend the meetings as a special invitee as an excuse for not appointing a Lokpal over the last 5 years.”