Petition for the Removal of Lokpal Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose
Petition for the Removal of Lokpal Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose
I have filed the following petition to get the services of the current Lokpal Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose terminated as he has completely failed in his responsibility to curb corruption in India.
An abridged version of the petition that I sent is given below.
To March 9, 2022
Mr. Ram Nath Kovind
President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
Justice N. V. Ramana
Chief Justice of India
Supreme Court of India
Tilak Marg, New Delhi 110 001
Petition for the Removal of Lokpal Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose under Charges of Non-Performance and Dereliction of Duty
Petition by: Rakesh Raman
Dear President and Chief Justice of India,
I am a national award-winning journalist and founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation, which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. I am filing the present petition to get the services of the current Lokpal Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose terminated as he has completely failed in his responsibility to curb corruption in India.
The institution of Lokpal was established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 to investigate allegations of corruption against public functionaries and provide clean governance to citizens. However, corruption in India has increased manifold since the Lokpal office was set up in March 2019.
While India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the Lokpal has tarnished the reputation of the country in the world forums where India is being censured for its failure to stop massive bureaucratic and political corruption.
RAMPANT CORRUPTION IN INDIA
A 2021 report released by the U.S. Department of State has revealed that rampant corruption is happening at all levels of government in India. The report – which also includes human rights violations in India – adds that the law provides criminal penalties for corruption by government officials, but most government officials frequently engage in corrupt practices with impunity. There were numerous reports of government corruption during the past year, the U.S. report says.
In addition to the U.S. State Department report, there are multiple global surveys which reveal that corruption is increasing rapidly in all parts of India. The U.S. report adds that corruption happens at different levels including the payment of bribes to expedite services, such as police protection, school admission, water supply, and government assistance.
While rampant corruption is happening at every step in India, the untamed bureaucrats are blatantly defying laws that are supposed to prevent corruption. The latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released on January 25, 2022 by Transparency International reveals that India is among the most corrupt countries of the world.
The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, asserts that India, with a score of just 40, is ranked 85 in the world. In other words, India is more corrupt than 84 other countries.
As a result of bureaucratic and political corruption, the people of India are suffering under unprecedented inflation, pollution, hunger, unemployment, human rights violations, injustice, and extreme misery. Obviously, Lokpal is mainly responsible for all this human suffering in India.
REMOVAL OF LOKPAL AND LOKPAL MEMBERS
The President can make a reference to the Supreme Court either on his own or if 100 Members of Parliament (MPs) sign a petition seeking the removal of the Chairperson or any of the Members of Lokpal. If the Supreme Court, after an inquiry, finds the charges to be true, the Chairperson of Lokpal and / or Lokpal Members shall be removed by the President.
Reference: The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. Chapter X Complaints against Chairperson, Members, and Officials of Lokpal. Removal and suspension of Chairperson and Members of Lokpal.
REQUEST FOR ACTION
In view of the facts stated above, the President and the Chief Justice of India are requested to take the following actions:
1. Order a formal investigation into the work and conduct of Lokpal Chairperson Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and other Lokpal Members for dereliction of duty and complicity in financial crimes.
2. While the investigation progresses, suspend the services of Lokpal Chairperson Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and other Lokpal Members who have acted as accomplices in the collusion between Lokpal and the accused functionaries who have committed financial crimes but were surreptitiously provided impunity by the Lokpal.
3. Start prosecution against Lokpal Chairperson Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and other Lokpal Members to know the circumstances under which they neglected their official responsibilities and ignored corruption cases that they were supposed to prosecute. The prosecution may lead to their conviction.
4. Dissolve the institution of Lokpal and reopen all the corruption cases through a specially constituted committee of domain experts so that the corrupt officials could be caught and punished.
5. Revamp the process of appointing Lokpal and its Members so that they could be appointed through a transparent mechanism managed by independent experts.
Note: Since this is a digital document, you are requested to click the blue hyperlinks to download and study different aspects of the petition.
ABOUT THE PETITIONER
Rakesh Raman is a national award-winning journalist and founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation, which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. Nowadays, for the past 12 years, he has been running his own global news services on multiple news sites.
He runs various environment protection, education awareness, and anti-corruption campaigns, and publishes digital magazines and research reports on different subjects. Earlier, he had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development.
Recently he has launched a comprehensive research project to compile an exclusive research report on corruption in India. Its working title is “India Corruption Research Report 2022 (ICRR 2022)”. He has also launched a nationwide campaign to introduce social democracy in India in order to build an egalitarian society in which all citizens could enjoy equal rights, opportunities, freedoms, and access to justice.
In his anti-corruption activities, he participated in a global petition led by Germany-based international organization Transparency International to call for the UN General Assembly Special Session against Corruption, UNGASS 2021, to direct all countries to set up central, public registers of beneficial ownership.
Rakesh has also participated in the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project for 2022 as a Country Expert for India to provide expert research inputs on multiple topics pertaining to democracy and governance. The V-Dem Project is managed by V-Dem Institute under the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
He runs a community-driven anti-corruption social service “Clean House” to help the residents of Delhi raise their voice against the growing corruption and injustice in housing societies where millions of people suffer because of rampant corruption and lawlessness. He has also formed an environment protection group called Green Group in New Delhi, which is the most polluted national capital in the world.
As Rakesh has been facing constant threats including death threats for his editorial and anti-corruption work, the Paris-based international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that defends freedom of journalists has urged the Indian government to save him from threats and persecution.
You can click here to download and read his full profile.
Contact
Rakesh Raman
Editor, RMN News Service [ Website ]
Founder, RMN Foundation [ Website ]
463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4
Dwarka, Phase I, New Delhi 110 078, India
WhatsApp / Mobile: 9810319059 | Contact by Email
The full petition is given below.
