Bhubaneswar: The state government Saturday appointed former Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, Ajit Singh, as the chairman of Lokayukta, Odisha.
Following the approval of Governor Ganeshi Lal, the General Administration Department has issued an official notification in this regard.
Singh, born September 6, 1956, started his career as an advocate in October 1979 with the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He was first posted as additional judge of the High Court in 2002 and became a permanent judge in 2003.
Singh was transferred and posted as judge of the Rajasthan High Court in March 2015. He took over as the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court in March 2016 and retired in September last year.
A five-member selection committee headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has cleared Singh’s name at its last meeting last month, sources said. As per Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014, the chairperson of the Lokayukta will work for a tenure of five years from the date of his assuming the office.
The status and privileges of the Chairperson shall be equivalent to that of the Chief Justice of Odisha High Court. Notably, Odisha is the first state in the country to pass the Lokayukta Bill in the Assembly.
PNN