UP guv ratifies Virendra Singh’s appointment as lokayukta

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik on Friday approved the appointment of Justice Virendra Singh (retired) as the state’s new lokayukta, ending the prolonged political drama over the issue. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court had appointed Singh after a selection panel comprising the chief minister, chief justice of the Allahabad HC and leader of opposition could not choose a name even after two rounds of meetings.
An official release from the Raj Bhawan said the new lokayukta will be sworn in at 10.30 am on December 20.
Just as there was a long-drawn battle between the governor house and the state government over the issue for the past six months, the end of this tumultuous chapter, too, was far from smooth. On Thursday, the government sent the file of Singh’s appointment to Naik for ratification. But the governor asked it to furnish the SC order in this regard. Since the order had not been uploaded by then, the file was returned.
On Friday, government officials downloaded the SC order and sent the file again to the governor. Naik immediately sanctioned it since the apex court had asked for an action-taken report in the matter by December 21.
Singh will be the seventh lokayukta of UP. Currently, he is president of UP’s state consumer forum. He is from Saharanpur district and rose from the rank of munsif to become a HC judge. He will take over from Justice N K Mehrotra (retired), who had an unprecedented tenure of nine-and-a-half years.