PANAJI
The Pramod Sawant led Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the path for introduction and passage in the forthcoming session of the State Legislature the Goa Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill to widen the pool of eligibility for appointment to the post of the anti-corruption Ombudsman.
The amendment proposes to make retired High Court Judges also eligible for the Lokayukta's post in addition to retired judges of the Supreme Court and chief justices of High Courts.
Goa is without a Lokayukta since the post fell vacant when the term of then incumbent Justice P K Mishra ended on September 17 last year.
"We have cleared the Goa Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill 2021, which will make retired High Court Judges eligible for the post," Sawant said at his customary post-cabinet press conference on Wednesday.
On Tuesday the Bombay High Court at Goa had served a two-month deadline to the State government to name the new Lokayukta.
The Goa Lokayukta Act as it stands today permits only retired Supreme Court Judges or Chief Justices of High Courts to be appointed as Lokayukta.
