Ex-SC judge Justice P C Ghose to be India’s first Lokpal
| Date :18-Mar-2019 |
NEW DELHI,
FORMER Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose was on Sunday recommended to be the first Lokpal or anti-corruption ombudsman of India. His name was finalised and recommended by the Selection Committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and eminent jurist Mukul Rohatgi. Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is part of the committee, did not attend the meeting. Justice Ghose, 67, who is a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) since June 2017, retired from the Supreme Court on May 27, 2017. He had assumed charge as Supreme Court judge on March 8, 2013.
His was among the top 10 names shortlisted by the Lokpal Search Committee. In July 2015, a Supreme Court bench of Justice Ghose issued notice to late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on a petition by the Karnataka Government challenging the High Court verdict acquitting her and three others in a disproportionate assets case. He is a former judge of the Calcutta High Court and former Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Born in Kolkata, Justice Ghose is son of Late Justice Sambhu Chandra Ghose, former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court. Graduating in Commerce from St.Xavier’s College, Calcutta, Justice Ghose completed graduation in law (LL.B.) from University of Calcutta and obtained Attorney-at-Law at Calcutta High Court, and enrolled himself as an advocate on November 30, 1976 with Bar Council of West Bengal. He practised in civil, commercial, arbitration, constitutional and company matters both in the original side and appellate side at Calcutta High Court. On July 17, 1997, Justice Ghose was elevated as a permanent Judge of High Court at Calcutta. He held the post of Executive Chairman, Andaman and Nicobar State Legal Services Authority and Executive Chairman, State Legal Services Authority, West Bengal, since January 2, 2007 and August 1, 2007 respectively. Since January 14, 2005, he was associated with Indian Law Institute (Calcutta Chapter) and acted as the Treasurer of the Indian Law Institute till May 22, 2012. He Was Chairman of Institutional Ethics Committee of National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata. Jutice Ghose’s appointment has come nearly five years after the Lokpal Act was notified on January 16, 2014.
Anna Hazare hails decision
MUMBAI,
SOCIAL activist Anna Hazare on Sunday welcomed the news that former Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose was being considered for appointment as the chief of country’s first Lokpal, the anti-corruption ombudsman. Justice Ghose, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2017, is a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Speaking to reporters, Hazare said, “I welcome the decision of appointing the country’s first Lokpal. The people’s movement for it, going on for 48 years now, has finally won.”
Hazare has led several agitations and hunger protests demanding the appointment of Lokpal at the national level and Lokayukta in States. He had sat on a hunger strike in February-March in his native Ralegansidhi in Ahmednagar district over the non-appointment of Lokpal. The Lokpal Act, which envisages establishment of anti-graft body Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to look into cases of corruption against certain categories of public servants, was passed in 2013.