Lokpal  members appointed

• Former Supreme Court judge, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, has been appointed as the Lokpal chairperson recently, one and half years after he retired from the apex court.
• Justice Khanwilkar retired from the Supreme Court in July 2022.
• Justice Khanwilkar’s appointment continues the controversial tradition of top post-retirement positions going to judges of the highest court of the country after retirement.
• Other members
  • The Rashtrapati Bhavan has also announced the appointment of former high court judges Lingappa Narayana Swamy, Sanjay Yadav and Ritu Raj Awasthi as judicial members of the Lokpal.
  • Non-judicial members Sushil Chandra, Pankaj Kumar and Ajay Tirkey were also appointed.

ABOUT LOKPAL

• The Lokpal or anti-corruption ombudsman is an independent statutory body established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 to investigate graft cases against public servants.
• The Lokpal chairperson and its eight members are appointed by a high-level selection committee
  • chaired by the Prime Minister and
  • comprising the Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of Opposition, Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge nominated by the CJI.