Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: In a big jolt to Narendra Modi-led government in Gujarat, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the state government’s curative petition seeking chief minister`s say in the appointment of Lokayukta as in Karnataka.
The Gujarat government had filed a curative petition in the apex court following the dismissal of its review petition before the apex court challenging the appointment of Justice (retd) RA Mehta as the state Lokayukta. The Modi government’s stand has been that appointment of Lokayukta by Governor Kamla Beniwal was “illegal” as it was done without consulting the state government.
The SC, in its January 2 ruling, had given primacy to the opinion of the Gujarat High Court Chief Justice, disagreeing with the state’s contention that Governor could not appoint Lokayukta without state government’s advice. In the subsequent review petition, the Gujarat government had cited a judgment of the apex court regarding appointment of Karnataka Lokayukta, where SC had said that the chief minister would have primacy in the selection process if the state law provided for his inclusion in the consultation.