New Delhi: BJP on Wednesday termed the judgement of
the Gujarat High Court upholding the appointment of the state
Lokayukta by the governor, as "a setback to federalism".
"The divided judgement of the Gujarat High Court is a
setback to federalism. The governor is a nominee of central
government.
"If a governor gets primacy over the state government on
the appointment of Lokayukta, it amounts to Government of
India appointing the Lokayukta," Leader of Opposition in Rajya
Sabha Arun Jaitley told reporters here.
He said the verdict will hurt Lokayukta as an
institution.
The High Court, in a majority decision, upheld the
appointment of Lokayukta by the governor, while dismissing the
plea of the state challenging it. The Gujarat government said
it will challenge the order in the Supreme Court.
"We accept the verdict of the High Court. But our points
remain and we will challenge this decision in the Supreme
Court after consultations with legal experts," Gujarat
government spokesperson and Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas
said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 18:15