PIL for removal of UP Lokayukta, SC issues notice to state

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the Uttar Pradesh government's response on a plea seeking the removal of state's Lokayukta Justice NK Mehrotra on various grounds, including that it had itself ordered his replacement within six months in April last year.

A Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and MY Eqbal asked the state government to submit its reply to the PIL filed by one Mahendra Kumar Jain within four weeks. The PIL stated that the Apex Court had on April 24 last year upheld the constitutional validity of an amendment to the UP Lokayukta Act for fixing an eight-year tenure for the anti-corruption ombudsman.

However, the court had asked the state government to take steps to select a new incumbent within six months to replace Justice NK Mehrotra (<g data-gr-id="12">retd</g>) as Lokayukta.

Justice Mehrotra was appointed as Lokayukta on March 16, 2006, for six years and later, the government granted him a two-year extension by amending the Act under which the tenure was extended to eight years or till a successor took over. While upholding the constitutional validity of the amendment to the UP Lokayukta Act, the court had directed the government to take steps to select a new ombudsman within six months.