The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed Justice Sanjay Mishra as the Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh, canceling the December 2015 appointment of Justice Virendra Singh – both retired judges of the Allahabad High Court.
Also read: SC Appoints UP Lokayukta After No Initiative From State
The appointment of the Lokayukta has been a matter of contention between the apex court and the state government.
In December, SC had appointed Justice Virendra Singh after the state government failed to appoint one even after a set deadline of 16 December 2015.
On 24 April 2014, the SC had upheld the constitutional validity of the amendment in UP Lokayukta Act to fix an eight-year tenure for the anti-corruption ombudsman.
Also read: Supreme Court Raps UP Govt for Not Appointing Lokayukta
It had also directed the state government to take steps to select the new incumbent of Lokayukta Justice (retd) NK Mehrotra within six months.
The apex court, in July 2015, had taken note of a contempt petition – by a person called Sachidanand Gupta – alleging non-compliance of its orders and directed the state to do the needful within 30 days.
(With agency inputs)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)