The Supreme Court has asked Nagaland Lokayukta Uma Nath Singh to step down in view of the spate of controversies the former high court chief justice has been embroiled in.
An SC bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde on Monday suggested to Lokayukta’s counsel that it is better to give up the post rather than demeaning himself and the offices that he has held in his career, Hindustan Times reported.
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“When there is no dignity in continuing, why go through all this and insist to continue at any cost?” the bench asked the former judge’s lawyer Vikas Singh.
The top court was hearing a petition filed by the Nagaland government demanding that the Lokayukta be stripped of all his powers.
The state government has sought removal of the Lokayukta, alleging various acts of impropriety and unjustified personal demands by him.
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Its petition contended that the Lokayukta has continued to work online from Delhi even though the chief secretary did not approve of this.
The Lokayukta’s lawyer, on his part, responded that it was because of the outbreak of Covid-19 that Singh had insisted on doing his work from Delhi
But this argument failed to convince the bench, also comprising justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian. “We don’t agree with you at all…” the bench said.
The case was adjourned for a week to give the Lokayukta time to ponder over his willingness to call it quits.