“May I, at the outset, assure you that the advertisement issued in this regard is strictly in terms of the provisions of the (Lokpal) Act and the rules framed thereunder,” Singh had said in his letter to Jaitley.
The prime minister's reply prompted Jaitley to write again to him contesting the government's claim. “I seriously contest the position on basis of which you have been advised.... I would, therefore, urge you to kindly reconsider the position that the government has taken in this regard. How these positions are to be filed up is a discretion only of the Selection Committee and not the Search Committee,” he said in his recent letter.
Of the advertised posts for members in the Lokpal, four are for judicial and the remaining for non-judicial.
The PM-led selection committee has as members Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, 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 of the members.
