Former
Supreme Court judge K T Thomas on Monday turned down the
offer to head Lokpal search
committee, days after jurist Fali Nariman opted out of the panel.
"I
have written to Prime Minister's Office (PMO) expressing disinclination to head
Lokpal search committee," Thomas said.
"The
reason is when I went through the rules, our committee which is called the
search committee was to recommend names to select committee. The select
committee need or need not to accept those names. So it was not worth while to
have this search committee," the former judge said.
When
asked whether the recent refusal from Nariman to be part of the search
committee had any role to play in his decision, Thomas said, "It was not
for the same reason". "It (Nariman's refusal) became a point to go
through the rules whether it was worth while to be on the committee or
not," he said.
Thomas
was a judge in the apex court between March 29, 1996 to January 1, 2002. Fali
Nariman had recently also refused to be part of the Lokpal search panel,
voicing fears that the best will be overlooked by the multi-layered procedure.
The
eight-member search committee is mandated to prepare a panel of persons to be
considered by the Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
for appointment of chairperson and members of Lokpal.
The
Selection Committee has as members the Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of Opposition
in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the apex court
nominated by him, and an eminent jurist who could be nominated by the President
or any other member. The Lokpal and
Lokayuktas Act, 2013 provides for establishment of a Lokpal for the Union and
Lokayuktas for the states to inquire into corruption charges against public
functionaries. The Centre had already
got nominations from various individuals for becoming its chairperson and
members.