The Requirement of a Lokayukta in India

Studies indicate that corruption in developing countries is one of the primary reasons for lack of economic development and growth. Corruption is seen to have a cascading effect on investment- domestic as well as foreign- that further retards the economy of a country. Growing concerns pertaining to the increasing corruption in India has led to several social movements across the country. These movements have been led by several groups and political organizations and their demands focus on more accountability from government officials. Transformation of existing framework and change in transparency requirements for expenditure of public money also form part of these demands. In this paper, the author shall examine the viability of a Lokpal as a check on corruption by discussing the existing Lokpal and Lokayukta regimes that currently exist in Indian states.