Chautala opposes Lok Pal nominee
By Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 14 — Even before Haryana gets its first Lok Pal, a controversy has erupted over the government's choice of the incumbent of this exalted office, crucial for maintaining probity in public life and for fighting against corruption by public men.

The ruling combine is in favour of appointing a sitting Judge of the Allahabad High Court, Mr Justice I.P. Vashisht, as the first Lok Pal of Haryana. Mr Justice Vashisht, who was the District and Sessions Judge in Haryana before he was elevated to the Bench, was transferred to the Allahabad High Court after he was administered the oath of office as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, last month wrote to the Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, seeking his views on the names of persons who could be appointed as the Lok Pal. When Chautala, who was busy with the Assembly elections in Delhi and Rajasthan, did not respond, the Chief Minister again wrote to him that the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, Prof Chhattar Singh Chauhan, had recommended the name of Mr Justice Vashisht for the post of Lok Pal. Mr Bansi Lal again sought the views of Mr Chautala on December 3 last.

Mr Chautala today sent a letter to the Haryana Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, opposing the appointment of Mr Justice Vashisht as the Lok Pal of Haryana. He said that the office of Lok Pal enjoyed the status of the Chief Justice of a High Court and the appointment of a "junior Judge as Lokpal shall be against all cannons of propriety".

The Opposition leader suggested that it would be appropriate if a sitting or a retired Chief Justice or Judge of the Supreme Court was considered for this post.

Mr Chautala wrote in his letter that in order to achieve the proclaimed objective of the institution of Lok Pal "it shall be desirable that the incumbent is acceptable to motley group of ideologues in public life."

Describing Mr Justice Vashisht as a "camp follower of Mr Bansi Lal", Mr Chautala alleged that his appointment as Lok Pal "shall leave much to be desired on several counts". He also alleged that if appointed Mr Justice Vashisht "shall throttle every voice of conscientious dissent at Mr Bansi Lal's behest, thus inflicting damage on vital democratic institutions in imponderable ways."

Urging the Governor to "prevent the hijacking of this important systems of safeguard by an unscrupulous Chief Minister for his nefarious ends, Mr Chautala said he (the Governor) should not agree to the proposal of the Chief Minister."

Informed sources say the Government had sought the views of the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court about Mr Justice Vashisht before the Chief Minister wrote to Mr Chautala. The sources say the Chief Justice had written highly about Mr Justice Vashisht.

The official spokesman of the Lok Dal, Mr R.S. Choudhary, told TNS that his party wanted that a person from outside the region should be appointed the Lok Pal so that the August institution inspired confidence in all. He said Haryana should wait for the enactment of the Central Lok Pal Act and modify its own Act to bring it in conformity with the Central Act.