8 members of Lokpal take oath of office

All eight newly-appointed members of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal Wednesday took oath of office.They were administered the oath by Lokpal chairperson Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, officials said.

Former Chief Justices of different high courts — Justices Dilip B Bhosale, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Abhilasha Kumari and Ajay Kumar Tripathi — took oath as judicial members in the Lokpal.

Former first woman chief of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Archana Ramasundaram, ex-Maharashtra chief secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, former IRS officer Mahender Singh and Gujarat cadre ex-IAS officer Indrajeet Prasad Gautam were sworn-in as the Lokpal's non-judicial members.

"The Lokpal can be said to have been made operational as its chairperson and eight members have been administered the oath of office," a senior government official said.

According to the rules, there is provision for a chairperson and a maximum of eight members in the Lokpal panel. Of these, four need to be judicial members.

Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, ex-Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and senior minister in the Chhattisgarh government T S Singh Deo were present during the function.

Upon selection, the chairperson and members shall hold office for a term of five years or till they attain 70 years of age.

The Lokpal selection committee is headed by the prime minister and has as its members — Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of the Opposition in the lower house, Chief Justice of India or a judge of the apex court nominated by him, and an eminent jurist nominated by the president or any other member.