The Haryana lokayukta, on whose recommendations chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday ordered a criminal case against former chief parliamentary secretary Ram Kishan Fauji in a graft-for-CLU (change of land use) case, has written to the government in his annual report that officials take serious cases casually.
In annual report for the year 2013-14, which he has submitted to the government, the lokayukta, justice Pritam Pal (retd), has again proposed amendments to the Haryana Lokayukta Act, 2002, to make the institution more effective.
The suggested amendments relate to contempt of court, suo-motu cognizance of grievances and allegations, protection to whistleblowers, and adequate staff for the lokayukta. Justice Pal referred to his similar suggestions year after year since 2011.
He also bemoaned that though the Lokayukta Act envisaged that the competent authority was required to examine the reports and intimate the lokayukta within three months, the action taken reports (ATRs) in several cases were not being sent to it. This in spite of the repeated instructions from the chief secretary to the officials concerned, he has added.
"The lokayukta organisation is understaffed since its inception," justice Pal states in the report. "The requests made in this regard remained pending indefinitely, thus the staff remained even less than the sanctioned posts, the biggest roadblock in quick discharging of duties," the report says.
{{/usCountry}}"The lokayukta organisation is understaffed since its inception," justice Pal states in the report. "The requests made in this regard remained pending indefinitely, thus the staff remained even less than the sanctioned posts, the biggest roadblock in quick discharging of duties," the report says.
{{/usCountry}}Complaints
692 received in the year 2013-14
2,900 received since justice Pritam Pal (retd) took over as lokayukta in 2011
2,300 disposed in justice Pal's tenure.
The tenure
The tenure of Haryana lokayukta (an institution incepted in 1999) is of five years. He is the only lokayukta on whose recommendations, the registration of a criminal case against a prominent politician has been ordered in the state.