SHILLONG, Feb 21: The Meghalaya Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2024 introduced by the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) legislator from North Shillong Adelbert Nongrum was rejected through voice vote in the Assembly recently.
”The Nos it, the motion is not carried and leave to introduce the Bill is not granted. The Bill is therefore rejected by the House,” Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma said after the Bill was put to vote.
Earlier while introducing the Bill, Nongrum said that the amendment to the Lokayukta Act, 2021 has diluted the effective functioning of Lokayukta in the state, by making radical changes to the strength of Lokayukta members and composition of judicial benches that it no longer bears resemblance to what was originally in the principal enactment.
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”By allowing option of a single member body of just the chairperson alone, and without the mandatory appointment of judicial member(s) in what is a statutorily a judicial body, and to hear and decide cases of corruption by a single member bench, the Amendment Act of 2021 has practically weakened the role of the Lokayukta in the state,” he said.
He further alleged that the present Meghalaya Lokayukta Act has been robbed of the essential provisions which flowed from the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act of Parliament, and mirrored not just the objective but the provisions as well.
Nongrum said that the Private Members’ Bill seek to protect and strengthen the institution of Lokayukta in the state, so as to effectively deal with rising cases of corruption by public functionaries, to re-enact the essential provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, that were deleted and substituted by the Amendment Act of 2021 and to amend the existing Meghalaya Lokayukta Act for giving it more teeth and more effectiveness that it deserves.
”Therefore, I seek to introduce my Private Members’ Bill namely the Meghalaya Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2024. What the people of the state are expecting from this august house today, is a voice in support of Lokayukta, and a voice against the virus of corruption,” he said.
