State Congress president captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday rejected the appointment of Punjab Lokpal justice JS Sekhon (retd) as purely political and defying the very spirit of the Lokpal Act.
Amarinder issued a press statement here that the feared that the institution of lokpal under justice Sekhon, "whose Akali affiliations are too well known and who is a close relative of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal", would be misused for political purposes and settling scores with political opponents, particularly the Congress.
"The Central lokpal Act, which the Lok Sabha has passed already and which the Rajya Sabha is to clear, stipulates that the leader of the Opposition be part of the process to select the lokpal, a guideline that the Punjab government didn't follow," said Amarinder. "Justice Sekhon belongs to a hardcore Akali family, and his brother, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, is an Akali minister in the government led by Parkash Singh Badal. A man with pronounced political affiliations cannot be and must not be allowed to head a constitutional body."
There was no guarantee that the political loyalty of justice Sekhon towards the Shiromani Akali Dal would not influence his working as Punjab lokpal, said the state Congress president. "Justice sekhon was chief of the Gurdwara Election Commission also, appointed by Badal. Given his background, which leaves hardly any doubt about his political affiliations and inclinations, it is not possible to expect him to act in a fair, impartial and apolitical manner."
{{/usCountry}}There was no guarantee that the political loyalty of justice Sekhon towards the Shiromani Akali Dal would not influence his working as Punjab lokpal, said the state Congress president. "Justice sekhon was chief of the Gurdwara Election Commission also, appointed by Badal. Given his background, which leaves hardly any doubt about his political affiliations and inclinations, it is not possible to expect him to act in a fair, impartial and apolitical manner."
{{/usCountry}}Stating that the Punjab government should review the decision to appoint justice Sekhon as lokpal, Amarinder said his appointment "defies the very spirit of the institution of lokpal". Posts such as lokpal should not be politicized, and instead given to the people who have no pronounced political affiliations, he added.