RTI activists hold protest, seek appointment of Lokayukta

Right to Information (RTI) activists on Tuesday held a protest in front of the Lokayukta office demanding immediate appointment of Lokayukta. The protestors said the government was deliberately delaying the appointment to weaken the Lokayukta. 

The protesters said the government was wasting taxpayers’ money by not appointing a Lokayukta, a post that has been lying vacant since December 2015. “We staged a silent protest to draw the attention of the state government to appoint a Lokayukta immediately or close the Lokayukta institution so that taxpayers’ money does not go down the drain,” former wing commander and social activist G B Atri said.

The activists, who had filed several complaints with the Lokayukta jurisdiction, said the institution has not been providing information under the RTI. The information officer has been rejecting applications filed under the RTI by quoting Section 8 of the RTI Act. They said new complaints could not be registered with the Lokayukta because of the creation of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).