Supreme Court fixes February end deadline for search committee on Lokpal to recommend names

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the search committee on Lokpal to recommend names to the panel by February end for the appointment of the first anti-graft ombudsman of the country.

Former apex court judge Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai is heading the search committee.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the Centre to provide the search committee the requisite infrastructure and manpower to enable it to complete its work.

The bench, which also comprises Justices L N Rao and S K Kaul, fixed March 7 as the next hearing date.

Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, told the bench there were certain problems like lack of infrastructure and manpower due to which the search committee was not able to hold deliberations on the issue.

Earlier this month, the top court had directed the Centre to place on affidavit steps taken since September last year to set up a search committee for the Lokpal.

The court had asked Attorney General Venugopal to file the affidavit on the matter by today, January 17.

(With inputs from PTI)