A day after his meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday gave his assent for the controversial ordinance to amend the Kerala Lokayukta Act 1999.
With this amendment, the state government would have the power to “either accept or reject the verdict of the Lokayukta after an opportunity of being heard”.
Currently, under Section 14 of the Act, a public servant is required to vacate office if directed by the Lokayukta. The amendment has taken away this mandatory nature of the verdicts by the quasi-judicial anti-corruption body. Post-amendment, a Lokayukta verdict would have only recommendatory jurisdiction, not a mandatory one.
The move of CPI(M), which at the national level had always advocated for “strong” and “effective” Lokpal and Lokayuktas, to clip the wings of the anti-corruption watchdog has caused a furore in the ruling LDF as well as the Opposition UDF. The decision to bring in an ordinance to dilute the powers of the Lokayukta was not discussed in the LDF.
