Who among the following was appointed the Chairperson of the Lokpal of India in 2024?
- (a)Justice Sanjay Yadav
- (b)Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy
- (c)Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose
- (d)Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar
Correct — D, Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar. A former judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Khanwilkar was appointed Chairperson of the Lokpal of India by President Droupadi Murmu on 27 February 2024 and took oath on 10 March 2024, filling the post after Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose (the Lokpal's first Chairperson, from 2019).
- (a)Justice Sanjay Yadav — A former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court; he was appointed a judicial MEMBER of the Lokpal on 12 March 2024 — not its Chairperson.
- (b)Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy — A former Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court; he too was appointed a judicial MEMBER of the Lokpal in March 2024 — not its Chairperson.
- (c)Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose — A former Supreme Court judge who served as the Lokpal's FIRST Chairperson from 2019 — not the person appointed to the post in 2024.
The Lokpal of India is the apex statutory anti-corruption ombudsman set up under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. Its Chairperson need not be a former Chief Justice of India — a former Supreme Court judge or an eligible eminent person can also hold the post, as the 2024 appointment shows.
MPPSC tests 'who currently heads Body X' as a recurring pattern — this question also carries a hidden legal point worth knowing: the Chairperson doesn't have to be a former CJI, unlike what students sometimes assume.
- Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar, a former Supreme Court judge, was appointed Chairperson of the Lokpal on 27 February 2024 (oath: 10 March 2024).
- Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose was the Lokpal's first Chairperson, appointed in 2019.
- Justices Sanjay Yadav and Lingappa Narayana Swamy were appointed judicial Members (not Chairperson) of the Lokpal in March 2024.
- The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 does not restrict the Chairperson's post to a former Chief Justice of India.
All four names are real Lokpal-linked judges from 2024 — only Khanwilkar holds the Chairperson's post.
- Assuming only a former Chief Justice of India can become Lokpal Chairperson
- Confusing the Lokpal's first Chairperson (Ghose, 2019) with the current one (Khanwilkar, 2024)
- Mistaking Lokpal judicial Members (Yadav, Swamy) for the Chairperson
MPPSC/UPSC test 'who currently heads Body X' as a recurring current-affairs pattern — pin the exact post (Chairperson vs Member) to the exact name and year.
Consider the following statements about Lokpal: I. The power of Lokpal applies to public servants of India, but not to the Indian public servants posted outside India. II. The Chairperson or a Member shall not be a Member of the Parliament or a Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory, and only the Chief Justice of India, whether incumbent or retired, has to be its Chairperson. III. The Chairperson or a Member shall not be a person of less than forty-five years of age on the date of assuming office as the Chairperson or Member, as the case may be. IV. Lokpal cannot inquire into the allegations of corruption against a sitting Prime Minister of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) I only
- (b) II and III
- (c) I and IV
- (d) None of the above statements is correct
Answer(d) None of the above statements is correct.
Same institution and the same specific point: Statement II's claim that 'only the CJI, incumbent or retired, has to be its Chairperson' is false — illustrated in real life by this question's answer, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, a former Supreme Court judge (not a CJI), being appointed Lokpal Chairperson in 2024.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who was the FIRST Chairperson of the Lokpal of India, appointed in 2019?
- (a)Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose
- (b)Justice A.M. Khanwilkar
- (c)Justice Ranjan Gogoi
- (d)Justice Dipak Misra
Answer(a) Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, the Chairperson of the Lokpal must be:
- (a)only a sitting or former Chief Justice of India
- (b)a former Chief Justice of India, a former Supreme Court judge, or an eligible eminent person
- (c)a sitting member of the Lok Sabha
- (d)a retired Chief Election Commissioner
Answer(b) A former CJI, a former Supreme Court judge, or an eligible eminent person meeting the statutory criteria.