Ranchi: The decks have finally been cleared with governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar granting his assent to former Justice Amitabh Kumar Gupta to be appointed as the Lokayukta for the state.Retired Jharkhand high court Justice Amitabh Kumar Gupta will hold the office which has been vacant for the past five years. A notification to this effect has been issued by the Raj Bhavan.The post has been vacant in the state for the past few years leading to a public interest litigation being filed before the Jharkhand HC. The petition was filed by one Raj Kumar stating that several constitutional posts in the state are lying vacant, including that of Lokayukta.The state govt, while appearing in the PIL, had informed the HC that steps are being taken for appointment of the Lokayukta as well as other constitutional posts which have been lying vacant for some time.The govt had assured the high court that appointment of the Lokayukta would be done immediately for which the HC had already set a deadline.Justice Amitabh Kumar Gupta had joined the judiciary in 1997 as an additional district judge. He was also a special judge for the CBI dealing with fodder scam cases. In 2013, he was elevated as a judge of the Jharkhand high court. He superannuated from Judgeship on May 30, 2021. Post retirement, Justice Gupta had also held the office of chairman of the RRDA tribunal.
