Lokayukta
The Lokayukta is a state-level anti-corruption ombudsman. The topic is small but reliably asked in Gujarat, usually as one of three things: where the idea came from, what the 2013 central Act did, and which state moved first.
Mental model
One word holds the whole topic: SCALE. Lokpal = Union level, Lokayukta = state level — the same watchdog idea, two altitudes. The lineage is worth memorising as a line: the institution comes from the Scandinavian Ombudsman idea → the First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966, chaired first by Morarji Desai) recommended Lokpal and Lokayukta for India → many states created Lokayuktas from 1971 onwards, Maharashtra being first → the Union Lokpal finally arrived through the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, after the anti-corruption agitation. Remember the composition rule as a pair of halves: a chairperson plus up to eight members, of whom not more than half are judicial members, and not less than half must be from SC, ST, OBC, minorities and women.
Associations
A short trigger on the left, everything it pulls with it on the right.
Ombudsman from Sweden, Lokpal from the first ARC.
The institution of the ombudsman originates in Sweden. India's version was recommended by the first Administrative Reforms Commission in the 1960s, which proposed a Lokpal at the centre and a Lokayukta in each state. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act finally came in 2013.
Lokpal is central, Lokayukta is state.
One word apart, two different jurisdictions. Neither is a constitutional body — both are statutory, created by ordinary legislation, which is why they appear in the 'statutory bodies' half of any list-based question.
Things to remember
The night-before list. Short enough to recall cold.
- 1The Lokayukta is a statutory, not a constitutional, body; it is created by a state Act.
- 2Maharashtra was the first Indian state to set up a Lokayukta, in 1971.
- 3Gujarat has had a Lokayukta Act since the 1980s, providing for inquiry into allegations against public functionaries in the state.
- 4The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 established a Lokpal at the centre and required states to establish Lokayuktas.
- 5The first Administrative Reforms Commission, whose first chairman was Morarji Desai, recommended the Lokpal and Lokayukta institutions.
In detail
- The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was enacted in 2013; the Lokpal consists of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight members.
- The terms 'Lokpal' and 'Lokayukta' were coined by L. M. Singhvi, and the institution was first recommended by the First Administrative Reforms Commission in 1966.
- Maharashtra was the first Indian state to establish the institution of Lokayukta, in 1971.
- The Lokpal's selection committee is headed by the Prime Minister and includes the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India or a judge nominated by him, and an eminent jurist.
- Gujarat has a Lokayukta established under its own state Lokayukta legislation, and the appointment of the Gujarat Lokayukta has been the subject of litigation reaching the Supreme Court.
Where people slip
- Neither the Lokpal nor the Lokayukta is a constitutional body. Options grouping them with the Election Commission or CAG are wrong.
Check yourself
Nothing here is scored — it will not change your mastery figures.
Which was the first Indian state to establish the institution of Lokayukta?
From the question bank
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, providing for the establishment of a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in States, was enacted in which year?
From the question bank
Consider the following statements about the composition of the Lokpal under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013: 1. The Lokpal consists of a Chairperson and a maximum of 8 Members. 2. Not less than 50% of the Members must be judicial members. 3. Not less than 50% of the Members must belong to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, minorities or women. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Books to read
- Governance in India by M. Laxmikanth
- Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
- The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 — bare act
Official sources
Hand-checked official domains only — the notes above carry no links of their own.