RTI Activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal highlights the importance of transparency before appointment of any Public Post.

Did a senior Supreme Court advocate write to Chief Justice of India on corruption-charges against recently retired Supreme Court judge now a front-runner for Lokpal? (see attachments also)

 

It refers to widespread talks amongst Supreme Court lawyers about a senior advocate of Supreme Court having written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) with copy marked to all Supreme Court judges, about corruption-charges against a recently retired Supreme Court judge whose name figures as front-runner for post of Lokpal. If the reports and subject-matter of much talked-about letter are true, then it is a matter of serious concern that a person will be posted as Lokpal whose own integrity is under doubt and suspicion.

 

Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) which has already declined to make names of Lokpal-aspirants public, should instead take a U-turn by make names of those having applied for post of Lokpal by putting these on website so that members of public may be able to send their important feedback to avoid a corrupt person being posted as Lokpal.

 

CJI should forward any such complaint received by him to Prime Minister who also heads DoPT. Alternatively Prime Minister may seek report from Chief Justice of India apart from directing DoPT to make names of Lokpal-aspirants public. Otherwise also, BJP government should follow its own earlier version when the then Opposition-Leader in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley demanded ban on any post-retirement jobs for judges for two years of their retirement from judiciary.

 

CJI should also act swiftly for constituting a larger bench for time-bound decision of long court-stayed verdicts dated 24.11.2009 of Central Information Commission (CIC) when a Division Bench of the Apex Court on 26.11.2010 directed its registry to place the matter before CJI for constituting a larger bench to decide the issue. CIC-verdicts under stay call for disclosure on appointments in higher judiciary and correspondence with CJI apart from several other aspects which are burning issues now-a-days with most recent being about a senior advocate writing to CJI on corruption-charges against a recently retired Supreme Court judge whose name figures as front-runner for post of Lokpal.

CIC (SC 529) CIC (SC 859) SC(32855+32856)