The Maharashtra cabinet has made the decision to implement the Lokayukta Act in the state, aligning it with the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act of 2013. This move will subject the Chief Minister and other ministers to the jurisdiction of a Lokayukta, as announced by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday.
Fadnavis disclosed that the Lokayukta Bill will be presented in the Winter Session commencing on December 19. Unlike the existing state Lokayukta, the newly approved Lokayukta will incorporate the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988, as stated by the deputy CM during an address in Nagpur on the eve of the Winter Session.
Referring to the persistent demand from social activist Anna Hazare for the enactment of the Lokayukta Act in Maharashtra, Fadnavis explained that a committee under Hazare’s chairmanship had been formed during the earlier BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government. However, after the government changed in 2019, there seemed to be no progress on this front by the MVA government. With the return of their government, Fadnavis stated that the committee was revived, and its recommendations, fully endorsed by the government, led to the Cabinet’s approval to formulate the new Lokayukta Act.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde chaired the meeting where this decision was approved. Fadnavis emphasized the government’s commitment to transparency, citing the Lokayukta Act as a crucial first step toward a corruption-free state, according to CM Shinde.
Under the proposed Lokayukta Act, ministers can face FIRs under the Anti-Corruption Act, a capability absent in the previous Lokayukta, which lacked the Prevention of Corruption Act. Fadnavis added that the Lokayukta, under the new Act, can directly instruct the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to register a case for investigating corruption allegations.
In this legislative session, a bill for the new Lokayukta will be introduced, marking the first instance in Maharashtra where the Chief Minister will fall under the Lokayukta Act’s jurisdiction. The Act will establish a committee comprising a retired Chief Justice of the High Court or a Supreme Court judge, along with two other High Court judges, totaling five members. This initiative is seen as a significant step toward enhancing transparency in the state, with two benches of judges established under the Lokayukta.
