Author: Vijender Gupta
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: May 30, 2013

This refers to ‘Let Voters Determine Publicity Excess’ (ET, May 29). The editorial opined that rather than a Lokayukta deciding on publicity excesses, the people should decide. No doubt people are the final judge, but that is not the point! It is noteworthy that this is for the first time that a Lokayukta in India has recommended action against a CM for misuse of the public exchequer for a political campaign through government advertisements. The Lokayukta order observed that chief minister Sheila Dikshit misused “her position to obtain/gain favour for herself and her party in violation of the norms of integrity and conduct which ought to be followed by a chief minster”. Further, the Lokayukta recommended the President “to advise” Sheila Dikshit “to reimburse, either herself or through her party, being beneficiaries, a sum of 11 crore” as the cost of advertisement used for party political purposes.

The Delhi Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta Act, 1995, was enacted in 1996. Rules were notified in 1998. Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta are to inquire into allegations of corruption, misuse of authority and wrongdoings of public functionaries.

The office also deals with the “non-observance of accepted norms of integrity and conduct by high public functionaries”, including the chief minister. So, it is evident that the Lokayukta is in its complete authority to make an indictment against the chief minster for the “non-observance of the accepted norms of integrity and conduct”.

The indictment is for the misuse of the public exchequer for political gains and not for publicity of government programmes. The said editorial has completely missed this point and, rather, shifted the entire focus elsewhere.

The editorial did mention about drawing “the line on what is a reasonable publicity budget for the government of the day”. The Lokayukta highlighted the same point when it recommended “to direct the framing of guidelines for publication of government advertisements”.