IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bjf/journl/v11y2026i3p86-94.html

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act: Strengthening Democracy or Symbolic Reform?

Author

Listed:
  • Sumeet Kaur

    (Doctorate Research Scholar, Department of Law, Punjabi University Patiala)

Abstract

Corruption continues to threaten the democratic governance in India. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act,2013 symbolizes a landmark step in India’s fight against corruption, promising to institutionalize accountability and strengthen governance in the country. This paper critically examines the effectiveness of the Lokpal through doctrinal analysis, performance assessment and comparative perspectives with international ombudsman institutions. Findings reveal that despite its “transformative†potential the Lokpal’s operational record remains weak and merely symbolic with negligible prosecutions. While the legislation created an independent anti-corruption ombudsmen at the central and state levels, its implementation has been marred by delays in appointment, political resistance and structural limitations. Comparative analysis with Hong Kong’s ICAC and Scandinavian Ombudsmen highlights the importance of autonomy, constitutional entrenchment and prosecutorial effectiveness. Recommendations are proposed to strengthen the Lokpal’s role as a genuine pillar of democratic accountability.

Suggested Citation

  • Sumeet Kaur, 2026. "The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act: Strengthening Democracy or Symbolic Reform?," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS), vol. 11(3), pages 86-94, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bjf:journl:v:11:y:2026:i:3:p:86-94
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrias/uploads/vol11-iss3-pg86-94-202603_pdf.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrias/view/the-lokpal-and-lokayuktas-act-strengthening-democracy-or-symbolic-reform/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bjf:journl:v:11:y:2026:i:3:p:86-94. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Renu Malsaria (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrias/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.