Format to file complaint with Lokpal soon: Minister

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 31

The government today said it will soon notify the format to file complaint with the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal.

As the norms require a complaint to be filed in the prescribed form, which needs to be notified by the Central government,Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said though no timeframe had been announced now, but, it would happen soon.

Giving details, a senior official of the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) said said several rounds of consultations with the Law Ministry had been held on the complaint format. “We have received necessary inputs from the ministry. Some discussions are going on within the ministry and the format will be made public soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Lokpal has been scrutinising all complaints received by it “in whatever form they were sent”.

As per the government data, of the total 1,065 complaints received till September 30, 2019, 1,000 have been heard and disposed of.

The Lokpal is an apex body to deal with cases of corruption at the national level. It has to inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries of the Central government in a time-bound manner.

President Ram Nath Kovind on March 23 had administered the oath of office to Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose as the first chairperson of Lokpal. The Lokpal’s eight members were also administered the oath by Justice Ghose on March 27.

Former Chief Justices of different high courts — Dilip B Bhosale, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Abhilasha Kumari and Ajay Kumar Tripathi — had taken oath as judicial members of the Lokpal.

Former first woman chief of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Archana Ramasundaram, ex-Maharashtra chief secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, former IRS officer Mahender Singh and Gujarat cadre ex-IAS officer Indrajeet Prasad Gautam were sworn in as the Lokpal’s non-judicial members.