Bhubaneswar, August 10: The Lokayukta in Odisha has become defunct following the retirement of Dr. Rajendra Sharma, the last remaining member.
On Friday, Dr Rajendra Sharma has retired from the service. The officials of Odisha Lokayukta bade farewell to him yesterday.
The institution has been unable to hear cases since April due to the vacancies left by the retirement of Justice Ajit Singh, Justice BK Nayak, and Debabrata Swain. With over 800 cases pending, the anti-corruption body is currently non-functional.
Now, Lokayukta in Odisha has seemingly gone into a vegetative state with the state government yet to make appointments of key members.
The Odisha Lokayukta Act 2014 mandates a chairperson and five members, including two judicial members. However, the state government has yet to appoint new members, leaving the anti-corruption body in a non-functional state.
This situation highlights the importance of timely appointments to maintain the functionality of such crucial institution. The state government is expected to expedite the process to restore the Lokayukta’s operations soon.
