Probe into Lok Ayukta appointment sought
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 11 2025: Senior Advocate Khaidem Mani has called for an investigation into the appointment of non-judicial member in the Manipur Lok Ayukta.

Speaking to media persons at his Loklaobung residence on Friday, Khaidem Mani said that there is Lok Pal at the National level and Lok Ayukta at the State level to check corruption.

In accordance with an order of the High Court, the Manipur Lok Ayukta Act 2014 was enacted and retired Justice Nandakumar was appointed the first Chairperson of Manipur Lok Ayukta, Mani said.

Apart from the Chairperson, a judicial member and one non-judicial member were also appointed but their term had long expired, he said.

The post of non-judicial member which was lying vacant for a long time was filled by the PR administration recently.

Khaidem Mani said that a retired Chief Justice of High Court or a retired Judge or an eminent personality should be appointed to the post of Lok Ayukta Chairperson.

The judicial member should be a retired High Court Judge or a Judge of a Court not lower than District and Sessions Court, he said.

A person well versed in administrative matters or an Advocate or a journalist should be appointed to the post of non-judicial member, he added.

As per Section 6 of the Manipur Lok Ayukta Act 2014, all the three members of Lok Ayukta including the Chairperson must selected from amongst the names recommended by a five-member selection committee comprising the Chief Minister as chairman, the Assembly Speaker, the Opposition leader, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur or a Judge recommended by the Chief Justice and an eminent personality selected by the above four members.

The Governor has appointed a retired IAS officer and former Chairman of Manipur Public Service Commission as the non-judicial member of Manipur Lok Ayukta but the posts of Chairperson and judicial member still remain vacant.

Although there is no Chief Minister at present who should head the selection committee as chairman, there are the Assembly Speaker, the Opposition leader and the High Court's Chief Justice or a Judge recommended by the Chief Justice.

As such, there is a strong suspicion that the non-judicial member was appointed by the Governor at the wrong advice of some people without recommendation from the selection committee, Khaidem Mani said.

There was no report that the High Court's chief Justice, the Speaker and the Opposition leader were involved in the appointment of the non-judicial member, he said.

There is also no report of the appointment of the fifth member of the selection committee.

All these matters may be ascertained by filing applications under the RTI Act, he said.

The Chief Information Commissioner should be appointed by a selection committee comprising the Chief Minister, the Opposition leader and a Cabinet Minister recommended by the Chief Minister.

It would not be right if someone is appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner on the sly just because there is no selection committee at the moment, Khaidem Mani said.

He said that Manipur is lagging behind other States in the field of judiciary.

While Tripura has over 100 Judges, Manipur has less than 50 Judges.

The High Court of Manipur should have five Judges but there are only three Judges at the moment.

As such, there are volumes of cases pending at the High Court.

Cases which should be disposed of in a couple of months are dragging for over a year, he said before urging the authority concerned to fill up the vacant posts of Judge at the High Court of Manipur.

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