Lokayukta: The State-Level Ombudsman

A clerk in a district office asks for a bribe. A minister quietly favours a contractor. Where does an ordinary citizen go? Not to the Lokpal, which looks at the Centre. In a state, the answer is the Lokayukta. But here is the catch: how strong it is depends on which state you live in.

1What Is a Lokayukta?

• A Lokayukta is a state’s independent anti-corruption watchdog. It is the state-level counterpart of the national Lokpal.
• It looks into complaints of corruption and abuse of office. Its targets include state ministers, MLAs and government officials.
• Without such a body, powerful people would be hard to check. A citizen needs a channel to complain when a public figure misuses power.
• A Lokayukta is created by a state law, not by the Constitution.
• In most states, the Governor appoints the Lokayukta under that state’s law.
• Many states also have an Upa-Lokayukta, a deputy who helps the Lokayukta. Maharashtra’s 1971 Act was titled the Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act.
• Think of the two levels like this. The Lokpal handles complaints against central officials. The Lokayukta handles complaints against state officials.

2How Did the Lokayukta Idea Begin?

• The story starts in 1966. The Administrative Reforms Commission looked at how to fight corruption in government.
• It proposed two watchdogs. One was a Lokpal at the Centre. The other was a Lokayukta in each state.
• The idea came from the ombudsman model of Scandinavia.
• Odisha passed India’s first Lokayukta Act in 1970. But it did not appoint a Lokayukta until 1983.
• Maharashtra got there first in practice. Its Lokayukta started working in 1971.
• So passing a law and running the office are two different things. Odisha’s long gap shows it.
• That is why exam questions ask for the first functional Lokayukta. The answer is Maharashtra, not Odisha.

3What Did the 2013 Act Change for States?

• For decades, states went their own way. Some had a Lokayukta. Many had none.
• The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 changed this. Section 63 says every state must have a Lokayukta.
• The deadline was one year from the Act’s start on 16 January 2014.
• The Centre wanted oversight to reach every state, not just Delhi.
• But the Act gave no single model. Each state could design its own Lokayukta.
• That freedom is why Lokayuktas differ so much in strength.
• The Act also did not set one common way to pick the Lokayukta. States kept their own rules for who is chosen and how.

4Why Is Karnataka’s Lokayukta So Powerful?

• Most Lokayuktas write reports and recommend action. Karnataka’s does much more.
• It runs its own Lokayukta Police wing, with a Superintendent of Police in each district.
• So it can investigate on its own. It does not have to wait for the regular police.
• It can also search and raid officials in disproportionate-assets cases.
• Karnataka shows how much a state can strengthen its watchdog if it chooses to.

5Can a Lokayukta Probe the Chief Minister?

• It depends on the state. Each state’s law sets its own limits.
• Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat bring the Chief Minister under the Lokayukta.
• In most other states, the Chief Minister stays outside its reach.
• Maharashtra’s legislature passed a new Lokayukta law in 2022. It brings the CM in, but a probe needs a two-thirds vote in the Assembly.
• So a CM who is checked in one state may be out of reach in another.
• Delhi is a Union Territory, yet it has its own Lokayukta. A territory with an elected government can have a watchdog too.

6What Happened in the Karnataka Lokayukta Scandal?

• In May 2015, a police officer in the Lokayukta office raised an alarm. Sonia Narang, the Lokayukta SP, wrote to the Registrar. An executive engineer had complained that someone in the office demanded a bribe to avoid a raid.
• A Special Investigation Team looked into it. It found an alleged extortion racket linked to the Lokayukta office.
• In July 2015, the SIT arrested Ashwin Rao, the son of Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao.
• In August 2015, the police named the Lokayukta himself as an accused in its chargesheet.
• Bhaskar Rao resigned on 7 December 2015, four months after his son’s arrest.
• The lesson is simple. A watchdog built to check others can itself be compromised. Honest appointment and oversight matter as much as the office.

7Why Do Lokayuktas Differ So Much?

• Because each state writes its own law, one may give its Lokayukta police powers. Another may leave it with few teeth.
• Some states also struggle to keep the post filled. Goa’s 15-month gap is one example.
• Powers differ in other ways too. Some Lokayuktas can only recommend action. Others can prosecute or raid.
• When the post stays empty, complaints pile up unheard.
• So a scheme meant to fight corruption can fall victim to neglect and delay.

8What Is New in Goa?

• Goa’s Lokayukta post had been empty since December 2024.
• On 4 March 2026, retired High Court judge Justice Sandeep Kashinath Shinde was sworn in.
• The Governor administered the oath at Lok Bhavan, Dona Paula. The vacancy had lasted about 15 months.
• Justice Shinde had served six years on the Bombay High Court. He retired on 16 January 2023.
• His case shows a common problem. A law may create the office, but the post still needs a person to fill it.

9What Should You Remember for Exams?

Must Know

• A Lokayukta is a state-level anti-corruption body.
• It is created by state law.
• The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 made it mandatory for every state.
• Maharashtra had the first working Lokayukta in 1971.
• The idea was proposed in 1966.

Good to Know

• Karnataka’s Lokayukta has its own police wing with raid powers.
• Coverage of the Chief Minister differs by state.
• Delhi, a Union Territory, has its own Lokayukta.

Great to Know

• Karnataka was the first state (Trap).
• The 2013 Act created state Lokayuktas (Trap).
• A Lokayukta can automatically probe the sitting Chief Minister (Trap).
• Odisha passed the first Act in 1970, but Maharashtra was first to make it work.