Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is set to amend the Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014, prior to filling vacant positions for the chairperson and members of the state’s anti-corruption ombudsman, the Lokayukta.
Odisha pioneered the establishment of a Lokayukta among states by enacting the law in February 2014, becoming the first to do so after the central Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act to investigate graft allegations against the Chief Minister, ministers, MLAs, and heads of local bodies. However, the body, formally set up in 2019, has been non-operational since mid-2024, leaving hundreds of pending cases.
The proposed changes pertain to the selection committee responsible for recommending appointments.
Under the existing 2014 Act, the Governor appoints the chairperson and members based on recommendations from a five-member committee chaired by the Chief Minister. It includes the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court (or a nominated judge), and one eminent jurist nominated by the committee’s chairperson and members. The Act also requires the selection committee to form a search committee of at least five experts in areas such as public administration, finance, law, and anti-corruption policy.
The vacancies arose after the retirement of the first Lokayukta chairperson, Justice Ajit Singh (former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court), on March 19, 2024, and other members by August 8, 2024, following their five-year terms.
According to RTI data, only 149 of 444 cases registered were disposed in 2024 and 83 more in early 2025, all stalled due to the lack of a functioning bench.
The delays prompted three separate public interest litigations (PILs) in the Orissa High Court by petitioners, including Prabir Kumar Das, Manoranjan Sahoo, and Satish Kumar Biswal, highlighting that Odisha Lokayukta has remained non-functional for over a year due to vacancies in these posts.
During the Tuesday hearing, Advocate General Pitambar Acharya informed a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman, that more time is required to complete the appointment process as there is a need to amend the Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014. “The amendment is required to do away with certain discrepancy and anomaly related to the selection committee for the appointments,” the advocate general said.
The court has granted the state government six weeks to complete the amendments and appoint a new chairperson and five members, emphasising the urgency of restoring the Lokayukta’s functionality.
It has fixed February 24 for taking stock of the progress in the appointments.
