House panel seeks details of road map on operationalising Lokpal’s inquiry, prosecution wings

A parliamentary committee has sought details of what has been done to make the investigation and prosecution wings of the Lokpal fully functional, more than a decade after the law governing the Lokpal came into force.

The law governing the anti-corruption ombudsman – the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013 – came into force on 1 January 2014. However, it only became operational on March 27, 2019, after the appointment of its president and members.

Also Read: What are the powers and duties of Lokpal?

Section 11 of the Act mandates that, in order to discharge its statutory functions, the Lokpal shall constitute an investigation wing to be headed by a director of investigations to conduct preliminary investigations into corruption-related offences.

The Lokpal Act also includes a provision for setting up a prosecution wing headed by the ‘director of prosecution’ for prosecution of public servants.

In its latest report, the Parliamentary Permanent Personnel, Public Complaints, Law and Justice Committee affiliated to the Ministry noted that the appointment of the head of the investigation in accordance with the approved organogram and the recruitment of personnel to the investigation wing are still ongoing.

The committee therefore wishes to be informed about the current status of the director’s appointment and the steps taken to operationalize the investigative wing in its full legal form, while ensuring coordination with existing investigative agencies.

The bench, in its 160th report, said that the prosecution wing of the Lokpal was formally constituted by an order dated June 6, 2025.

The committee noted that currently prosecution-related matters are handled through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has its own prosecution machinery.

“While taking into account the structure of the Prosecution Wing, the Committee wishes to be informed about the current stage of operationalization of the prosecution wing and the proposed roadmap for its full functioning in accordance with the legal framework,” the report said. The statement was included.

special court

Regarding notification of a special court under Section 35 of the Act, the bench said the matter was being taken up in the Delhi High Court and was being actively pursued.

Currently, cases are being heard by special judges notified under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as per a sanction given by the Lokpal, it said.

“The Committee wishes to be informed about the current status of consultations with the Supreme Court and the expected timeline for notification to a special court under Section 35 of the Act,” the committee’s report on Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Demands for Grants (2026-27) said.

Giving details of corruption complaints, the bench said a total of 318 cases were registered during 2024-25 (till December 31, 2025). 288 of them were destroyed.

The Lokpal had received 292 and 166 corruption complaints in 2024-25 and 2023-24 respectively.

The committee recommended that the staff position of the Lokpal secretariat be reviewed in the light of the increasing trend in complaints and investigative activities.

“Vacancies in key operational and support departments can be filled quickly and necessary coordination can be made with the authorities to ensure adequate manpower is available to enable the Lokpal to discharge its statutory functions efficiently and without interruption,” the report said. The statement was included.

According to the report, there are 24 vacancies out of 65 approved posts in the anti-corruption watchdog.