Former HC judge Mallikarjuna Rao takes oath as Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta

Former Andhra Pradesh High Court judge Tallapragada Mallikarjuna Rao was sworn in as Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta by Governor S Abdul Nazeer. His five-year tenure follows an appointment under the amended Lokayukta Act, amid efforts to fill several vacant statutory posts

Vijayawada: Tallapragada Mallikarjuna Rao, former Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, was sworn in as the Lokayukta of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. Governor S Abdul Nazeer administered the oath of office at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu; Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Kondapalli Srinivas and others participated. Last week, the Governor appointed Mallikarjuna Rao as Lokayukta for the State, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3(1) of the AP Lokayukta Act, 1983, as amended by the AP Lokayukta (Amendment) Act of 2024, on the basis of the recommendation of the selection committee.

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As per Government Order issued by Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad, Justice (Retd.) Mallikarjuna Rao’s term is for five years from the date of appointment.

Earlier, Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas had informed the High Court that the appointment process for chairpersons and members of the Lokayukta, Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Commission (APHRC) and Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) is at various stages and will be completed soon.

He said the selection of the Lokayukta had been completed by a committee headed by the chief minister and the file was pending before the Governor for approval.

Several public interest litigations had been filed seeking directions to fill vacant posts in the Lokayukta, APHRC, APERC and SCDRC. In May, the Andhra Pradesh government had constituted a high-level search committee to scrutinise applications and nominations for the appointment of the Lokayukta under the amended provisions of the AP Lokayukta Act.

The committee was formed in accordance with the Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta (Amendment) Act, 2024, and the rules notified earlier this year. The government had stated that the Lokayukta would be appointed from among retired Chief Justices and retired High Court judges.

The appointment was made by a selection committee headed by the Chief Minister. Other members of the selection committee are the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Home Minister or another minister nominated by the Chief Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, and the Chairperson of the Legislative Council.