India’s Anti-corruption Authorities: Lokpal and Lokayukta
Increasing corruption in public life in India has been a matter of growing concern since the early 1960s. The Administrative Reforms Commission recommended the appointment of the Lokpal institution in 1966. Since then, a number of Lokpal legislations were introduced in the Parliament in the years 1968, 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998 and 2001 without any success. The Anna Hazare movement of 2011 forced the Government of India to seriously think of introducing the Lokpal legislation. Finally, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, was passed. However, the Act is yet to be operationalised. While the Lokpal legislation lapsed one after the other, at their level many states enacted and introduced the Lokayukta institution. The success has been very limited so far as tackling corruption is concerned. The present article deals with these anti-corruption authorities in India in terms of their historical evolution, legislative features and experiences gained out of the working of the Lokayuktas.