Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi sworn in as Lokpal's judicial member

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 27-03-2024

Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi sworn in as Lokpal's judicial member

Appointment 5 min read

Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi has taken oath as judicial member of Lokpal on 27 March 2024. Justice AM Khanwilkar, Chairman of the Lokpal of India, administered the oath of office and secrecy.

Central Vigilance Commissioner Praveen Kumar Srivastava and other senior officers of CBI and Enforcement Directorate were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Swearing in of new members:

Pankaj Kumar and Ajay Tirkey have taken oath as Lokpal members. The swearing-in ceremony was held on 27 March 2024 at the Indian Lokpal Office in New Delhi.
Two sitting judicial members Justice PK Mohanty and Justice Abhilasha Kumari have completed their tenure in the Lokpal on March 26.
Also, three members DK Jain, Archana Ramasundaram and Mahendra Singh have also completed their tenure in Lokpal on 26 March 2024.

Brief introduction of new members:

Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi served as the Chairperson of the 22nd Law Commission of India before joining as Judicial Member of the Lokpal of India. Earlier, he was the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.
Pankaj Kumar is a 1986 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre. Before joining as a member of the Lokpal of India, he was the Chief Secretary of Gujarat.
Ajay Tirkey is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre. Before joining as a member of the Lokpal of India, he was the Secretary, Department of Land Resources, Government of India.

About Lokpal:

The institution of Ombudsman was officially established for the first time in Sweden in the year 1809.
The Ombudsman developed as an institution in the 20th century. Its process developed rapidly after the Second World War.
The ombudsman system was adopted by New Zealand and Norway in 1962, playing a crucial role in popularizing the concept globally.

About Lokpal in India:

The idea of a constitutional ombudsman in India was first presented in Parliament in the early 1960s by Law Minister Ashok Kumar Sen.
The terms Lokpal and Lokayukta were introduced by eminent jurist LM Singhvi.
The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 provided for the institution of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for the States.
These institutions are statutory bodies with no constitutional status.
Till 2011, eight attempts were made to pass a bill related to this, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
In the year 2011, the government constituted a group of ministers under the chairmanship of Pranab Mukherjee to give suggestions to curb corruption. This committee was formed to examine the proposal of Lokpal Bill.
The ‘India Movement against Corruption’ under the leadership of Anna Hazare put pressure on the then UPA government at the Centre. As a result, the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2013 was passed in both the houses of the Parliament.
On January 1, 2014, the President gave his assent to it, which came into force on January 16, 2014.
The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 has provided for the institution of Lokpal for the Center and Lokayukta for the states.