Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose appointed India’s first Lokpal by President Kovind

Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose has been appointed as India’s first Lokpal by President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday. Besides, Justice Dilip B Bhosale, Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Justice Abhilasha Kumari, Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi have been appointed as judicial members.

Former Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) chief Archana Ramasundaram, ex-Maharashtra Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, Mahender Singh and Indrajeet Prasad Gautam have been appointed as non-judicial members of Lokpal.

Former Supreme Court judge Ghose was elevated to the top court in 2013 and retired in 2017. The selection committee comprised the prime minister, the Chief Justice of India, the Lok Sabha Speaker and an eminent jurist.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered the Lokpal search committee to recommend by February end a panel of names to appoint the country's first anti-corruption ombudsman. The top court had asked the Centre to make available requisite infrastructure, manpower, secretarial assistance and other necessities to enable the committee to commence its work immediately and conclude the search within the timeframe.

Justice Ghose is the most senior member of the National Human Rights Commission, having been a part of it since June 2017. He is a former judge of the Calcutta High Court and former chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The appointment has come through five years after the Lokpal Act was notified for effecting a panel of ombudsmen to look into cases of corruption and maladministration by public servants.