The Maharashtra Lokayukta is an apex statutory functionary in the

State of Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivi ...

, independent of the governing political and public administration, created to address the grievances of the people against the

Govt. of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the state governing authority for the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a democratically elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the Vidhan Sabha for a five-year term. Maharashtra has a Maharashtra Legisla ...

and its administration. Lokayukta, the Indian equivalent of the

Parliamentary Ombudsman Parliamentary Ombudsman ( fi, Eduskunnan oikeusasiamies, sv, Riksdagens ombudsman, is, Umboðsmaður Alþingis, da, Folketingets Ombudsmand, no, Sivilombudet) is the name of the principal ombudsman institutions in Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Norw ...

was first established in the State of Maharashtra in 1971. It was established through ''The Maharashtra Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act, 1971. '' (Although,

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

was the first state to pass the act in 1970, it was implemented only in 1983 when it nominated its first lokayukta). The Governor appoints the Lokayukta after due consultations with Chief Justice of the

Bombay High Court The High Court of Bombay is the high court of the states of Maharashtra and Goa in India, and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is seated primarily at Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), and is one of the ol ...

and

Leader of Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in the

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha or the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the legislature of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated in the Nariman Point area of South Mumbai in the capital Mumbai. Presently, 288 memb ...

. Upa-Lokayukta is appointed after consultation with the Lokayukta. Once appointed, Lokayuka or Upa-Lokayukta can remain in office for a term of five years.

Oath or affirmation

Appointment and tenure

Following is the list of Lokayuktas for Maharashtra: V. M. Kanade appointed as Lokayukta in 2021

Removal

Lokayuka or Upa-Lokayukta can be removed from his office through the process of

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

. The removal can only be on the grounds of misbehavior or incapacity and no other grounds. The procedure for removal is as per Article 311 of

Constitution of India The Constitution of India (IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ri ...

Notable cases

* In April 2021, the state Lokayukta had asked for a report from the principal secretary(housing) and Chairman of Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority’s (Mhada) on allegation of land encroachment against one of the ministers in the state Government. * In May 2021, state governor had referred to Lokayukta of the alleged wrong practices followed in eticketing tenders of MSRTC for investigation and appropriate action. * The institution received around 23,718 complaints for investigation from January'2015 to June'2019.

Powers

Any citizen can make his/her complaints of corruption directly to the Lokayukta against any government official or elected representative. Lokayukta's power varies from State to State. In some States, the Lokayukta inquires into allegations against public functionaries including Chief Minister, Ministers and MLAs. While some has the power to investigate into civil servants/bureaucrats, judiciary and police. In year 2019,

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

brought the

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

's office under the purview of this institution. The state also introduced online complaint facility service for the public.

References