Government Will Work According to Rules on Lokpal Appointments: Rajnath

NEW DELHI: The government will go by the laid-down rules in deciding on appointments to the posts of Lokpal, CVC and other statutory authorities with the Leader of Opposition, who is a member of the selection panel for choosing them, not having been designated for the Lower House.

“We will work according to the rules and regulations,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh said when asked about the pending appointments of the chairperson and members of Lokpal.

The absence of a recognised Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha has created a hurdle in the process of appointments to key statutory bodies.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the nodal authority for processing the appointments of Lokpal, Central Vigilance Commissioner and Central Information Commissioner, among others, had written to Lok Sabha secretariat seeking information on the LoP’s post whereupon it was informed that there is no recognised LoP at present in the Lower House.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had rejected Congress’ demand for the LoP’s post for a party leader.

With 44 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, Congress is the second largest party after BJP in the Lower House. But it fell short by 11 seats in its bid to secure the LoP’s post, which requires a party to have a strength of 55 members.

The appointment of the CVC and the Vigilance Commissioners is done by the President on the basis of the recommendations of a three-member selection committee headed by the Prime Minister and comprising the Minister for Home Affairs and the Lok Sabha LoP, as per the Central Vigilance Act, 2003.

The appointment of the chairperson and members of the Lokpal is to be done by a five-member selection panel headed by the Prime Minister. The panel is to have as its members the Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of Opposition in the Lower House, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the apex court nominated by him and an eminent jurist who could be nominated by the President or any other member.

The LoP is also a member of the selection panel for choosing the chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission.