📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Satdeep Gill
Politics
Punjab’s Lokpal still pending a year after AAP’s promise
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 25 Sep 2026, 07:06 AM
👁 11
The Aam Aadmi Party, which rode to power on a Lokpal pledge, has yet to establish the anti‑corruption body in Punjab even after a year.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) formed the state government in Punjab after the 2022 assembly elections, campaigning heavily on a promise to set up a Lokpal to tackle corruption. The party’s manifesto highlighted the creation of an independent anti‑corruption ombudsman as a cornerstone of its governance agenda.
More than a year into its tenure, the promised Lokpal has not been constituted, and the state remains without the statutory body. Official notifications and appointments required to operationalise the institution have not been issued, leaving the anti‑corruption mechanism in limbo.
Opposition parties and civil‑society groups have criticised the delay, arguing that the failure undermines the credibility of AAP’s anti‑corruption narrative. The Punjab government, while acknowledging the lag, has said procedural formalities and consultations with legal experts are still underway.
The absence of a functional Lokpal continues to fuel public debate about accountability in the state, with many awaiting concrete steps before the next election cycle.
More than a year into its tenure, the promised Lokpal has not been constituted, and the state remains without the statutory body. Official notifications and appointments required to operationalise the institution have not been issued, leaving the anti‑corruption mechanism in limbo.
Opposition parties and civil‑society groups have criticised the delay, arguing that the failure undermines the credibility of AAP’s anti‑corruption narrative. The Punjab government, while acknowledging the lag, has said procedural formalities and consultations with legal experts are still underway.
The absence of a functional Lokpal continues to fuel public debate about accountability in the state, with many awaiting concrete steps before the next election cycle.