Lokayukta report tabled in House, calls for more powers to fight corruption

Haryana Lokayukta Justice Hari Pal Verma has called for more powers on the lines of the Lokayukta Acts of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh to combat corruption.

In his report for 2024-25, which was tabled before the Haryana Vidhan Sabha on Friday, he has pointed out that amendments to the Haryana Lokayukta Act, 2002, have been suggested in the previous reports too. Still, it has not caught the attention of the government. “Even the recommendations of the Haryana Statutes Review Committee have not been implemented so far,” he added.

He said there was a need to include provisions in the Act for conferring power of contempt, review of orders, withdrawal of complaint, appointment of staff, and establishment of special courts, etc.

He added, “…lack of power with the police wing of Lokayukta to register FIR and effect arrest in cases of corruption is a major handicap. The provision for a special police station dedicated to the cases of Lokayukta Police, as provided by the Lokayukta Acts of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, is the only solution to combat the rampant corruption in public offices.”

“This crime of bribery flourishes with the connivance of state police agencies, which have been entrusted with the task of supervising and combating this menace. It is a pity that not even a dedicated vehicle to conduct inquiries has been provided to the police wing of Lokayukta, which not only incapacitated police personnel to conduct inquiries smoothly but also diminished their credibility and dignity,” highlighted Justice Verma.

Verma’s report stated that the departments of Development and Panchayat, Police, and Revenue, followed by Education and Urban Local Bodies, were the most marred by grievances and complaints.

“Out of the total 1,085 pending complaints as on March 31, 2025, 366, which are more than 1/3rd of the total complaints, pertain to the Development and Panchayat Department, 219 complaints are pending against the officials of Police Department, while the complaints against the officials of Revenue Department are 81…,” said the report.

The Lokayukta said the complaints against the officials of the Police Department pertained to refusal to register FIR, partisan investigation, demand of a bribe, and implication at the instance of influential opponents of the complainants.

“The predominant concerns raised in complaints against the officials of the Revenue Department relate to irregularities in land records, allowing unauthorised persons to work in the revenue offices, demand of a bribe coupled with harassment and callousness, as well as allegations of inordinate delay in proceedings filed before the revenue authorities in their quasi-judicial capacity,” he said.

In 146 complaints, wherein the recommendations were made to the government from 2017 to 2024, besides the complaints of this year, the action taken reports (ATRs) had not been submitted, said the report.

“The ATRs are to be submitted by the competent authority, who is the Chief Minister in case of all public servants, and in case of the Chief Minister, the Governor. All the efforts, time, and energy consumed in the disposal of the complaints, wherein relevant orders/recommendations are made to the government, are set at naught by simply ignoring to pay any heed to such recommendations and failing to submit the ATRs,” said the Lokayukta.

The Lokayukta action has led to the recovery of “misappropriated and misused public funds” amounting to Rs 23.31 lakh in 2024-25. He also highlighted that MC, Gurugram, spent Rs 1.71 crore on the planting of saplings in the Aravallis. However, the area was not in the jurisdiction of the local body. It was also found that Rs 59.57 lakh was paid to the contractor for labourers’ refreshments and food, etc., in the absence of any such contract with the contractor.