Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal greets newly-sworn-in lokayukta Justice Reva Khetrapal (Retd) during a function at Raj Niwas in New Delhi on Thursday as lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung looks on. — PTI
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal greets newly-sworn-in lokayukta Justice Reva Khetrapal (Retd) during a function at Raj Niwas in New Delhi on Thursday as lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung looks on. — PTI
Former Delhi high court judge, Justice Reva Khetrapal, on Thursday took oath as the Lokayukta of Delhi, a post that was lying vacant for more than two years and over which the BJP and the Congress had been cornering the AAP government.
Lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung administered the oath to Justice Khetrapal as the Lokayukta at a function held at Raj Niwas. Her tenure as the Lokayukta will be for a period of five years.
Justice Khetrapal, who was additional judge in the Delhi high court between February 28, 2006 and September 22, 2014, took oath in the presence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet ministers, judges of Delhi high court and Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta among others. A four-member panel, comprising Chief Justice of Delhi high court G. Rohini, Mr Kejriwal, Mr Jung and Mr Gupta had in October chosen Khetrapal’s name for the post of Lokayukta.
Thereafter, Mr Jung had recommended her name to President Pranab Mukherjee for appointing her as Delhi’s Lokayukta. The BJP and the Congress had been cornering the AAP government over the vacant post of Lokayukta and also accused it of delaying to fill up the same. As per Delhi Lokayukta and Uplokayukta Act, 1995, term of Lokayukta is for five years.
Justice Reva Khetrapal was also additional district and sessions judge in 1991 and was posted as special judge (narcotics) in 1994. She was appointed as secretary, Press Council of India in 1999. The last Lokayukta, Justice Manmohan Sarin (Retd), had relinquished office in November 2013, following a five-year term. Since then, the post has been lying vacant.
