PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has given the Goa government a further two months to finalise the name of a new Lokayukta after the Goa government approached the court seeking an extension of time to appoint the Lokayukta.
The Goa government had sought a three month extension to appoint a Lokayukta as the previous deadline of three months that the High Court had earlier imposed on the Lokayukta had already ended.
A Division bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa comprising Justice M S Sonak and Justice Bharati Dangre asked the government to take only a further two months and to file its compliance report before the Court.
The High Court on September 23 last year after hearing a petition filed by Adv Aires Rodrigues over the failure of the Government to duly initiate the process of selecting the new Lokayukta had directed the government to take effective steps to fill up the post of Lokayukta as expeditiously as possible and in any case within three months which deadline ended on December 23.
The Government in its application seeking an extension of three months stated that several officials in the Administration of the State had since September 2020 tested positive for Covid-19 including the Chief Minister of Goa.
