Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Mar 2: The swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Goa Lokayukta Sandeep Kashinath Shinde will be held on March 4 at Lok Bhavan in Dona Paula. Shinde is a former judge of the Bombay High Court.

The post had remained vacant since December 2024 following the completion of the tenure of Ambadas Joshi, also a retired Bombay High Court judge. With the anti-corruption watchdog non-functional during this period, at least 14 cases are currently pending.

Earlier on Monday, two names were deliberated upon during a meeting that was attended by Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao before Shinde’s appointment was finalised.

The state government had previously appointed Joshi as Lokayukta in April 2021, six months after the tenure of his predecessor, P K Misra, ended on September 17, 2020.

Before Joshi’s appointment, the government had selected U V Bakre for the post, but he withdrew his consent in March 2021 citing personal reasons.

Subsequently, after being unable to secure consent from a sitting or retired Supreme Court judge or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court, the state government amended the relevant Act to allow the appointment of a retired High Court judge as Goa Lokayukta