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The stalemate over the appointment continues as UP CM Akhilesh Yadav recommends same name to Ram Naik for the fourth time in 20 days. Sharat Pradhan reports
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has once again recommended the name of Justice Ravindra Singh (retired) to Governor Ram Naik for the post of Lokayukta. This is the fourth time the government has sent his name in 20 days.
The governor has turned down Singh’s name with even the Allahabad high court Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud expressing reservations against Singh.
However, Akhilesh Yadav is quite gung ho about Singh’s appointment and has even gone ahead and said that by law the government doesn’t need the chief justice’s concurrence.
“The law says that all we need to is a consultation with the chief justice; his advice or opinion cannot be binding on us; and, in any case, the law does not talk of concurrence of chief justice,” argued a close aide of the chief minister.
The governor, on the other hand, insists on going with the established convention of “concurrence” of all three members of the selection panel -- the chief minister, lead of opposition in the state assembly and the chief justice of high court.
According to a Raj Bhawan spokesman, “The file was returned to the chief minister’s office thrice for the simple reason that the chief justice had clearly expressed his reservations to the name recommended by the state government.”
He said, “All that the governor has been seeking is communication on the issue between the chief minister and the chief justice, but the state government has been avoiding that for some reason.”
The chief justice also raised objections owing to Singh’s ‘political affiliations”. “I am drawing your attention to this because the presence of Justice Ravindra Singh on the dais at such an event in close proximity to political and other functionaries betrays a lack of discretion. A person, who in public perception is closely aligned to the ruling political party in the state, would not be able to discharge his duties independently”, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has stated in his letter to the chief minister.
It is reported that the chief justice wrote five letters to the chief minister between February 12 and August 16, in which he explicitly explained reasons for his objection to Singh’s name. He also raised the issue of Singh's functioning as an impartial and judicious judge.
And while claims and counter claims are being made on the issue, sources inside the government state that the only reason Singh was being considered was that Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh was keen to install a ‘Yadav’ in the chair and Ravindra Singh alone fits the bill.