Reva Khetrapal

Reva Khetrapal (born 23 September 1952) is the current Lokayukta (ombudsman) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi, India, and a former judge of the Delhi High Court.[1][2]

Hon'ble Ms. Justice

Reva Khetrapal
Lokayukta of Delhi
Assumed office
18 December 2015
Nominated byDelhi High Court
Appointed byPranab Mukherjee
Judge of the Delhi High Court
In office
28 February 2006 – 22 September 2014
Nominated byK.G. Balakrishnan
Appointed byA.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Personal details
Born (1952-09-23) 23 September 1952
Alma materUniversity of Delhi

Life

Khetrapal was born in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, and was educated in Delhi. She earned a B.A. in history from Miranda House, and an LL.B. from the University of Delhi's Faculty of Law.[2]

Career

Khetrapal enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1975, and practiced law until 1991. In addition to private clients, she represented the Delhi Government as a counsel. She was appointed to the judiciary in 1991, becoming an Additional District and Sessions Judge in Delhi. In 1994, she was appointed as a Special Judge dealing with cases prosecuted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. In 1994, she served as secretary to the Press Council of India.[2]

Delhi High Court

Khetrapal was appointed to the Delhi High Court as an additional judge on 28 February 2006, and was later made a permanent judge. She retired from the court on 22 September 2014.[2]

During her career as a judge of the Delhi High Court, Khetrapal adjudicated in a number of significant cases. In 2008, she ruled that an Indian film, Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors, did not infringe on the copyright of the Harry Potter film franchise, holding that the differences between the two were evident.[3][4] Along with Judge M. K. Sharma, she also dismissed a plea from the Government of India to prevent the removal of illegal constructions in and around Ministers' residences, ordering them to be demolished.[5] In 2010, she became one of several judges from the High Courts in Delhi, Kerala, and Madras to voluntarily disclose details of their assets on the website of the Delhi High Court, in a bid to improve transparency and fight corruption.[6] In 2012, Khetrapal adjudicated in a case concerning an extended strike by pilots of Air India, India's flagship airline, urging both parties to arrive at an amicable resolution.[7] The strike was eventually declared illegal, and the pilots ordered to return to work.[8][9]

In 2009, she granted bail to BJP politician Varun Gandhi in a case filed against him for making provocative speeches concerning religion, while the Bharatiya Janata Party disassociated themselves with him.[10] In 2016, along with Judge Pratibha Rani, she upheld the sentence of the death penalty to the four adult convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case.[11] Their order was affirmed by the Indian Supreme Court, and was carried out in 2020.[12][13]

While a High Court judge, Khetrapal was instrumental in establishing a scheme to provide financial aid for children whose parents are incarcerated. She also served as the Chairperson of the Delhi International Arbitration Center.[14]

Lokayukta

On 18 December 2015, Khetrapal was appointed as the Lokayukta (ombudsman) of Delhi, after being nominated for the position by a panel of judges from the Delhi High Court, and then appointed by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. Her term of office is for five years.[1][15]

In 2019, Khetrapal, as Lokayukta, issued a notice to all members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly for failing to disclose their assets. In response, the Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly stated that legislators are not legally required to make such disclosures.[16] She is also conducting ongoing proceedings into a complaint regarding corruption, filed by Delhi BJP leader Manoj Tiwari against Aam Aadmi Party ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain.[17]

References
  1. "Ex-High Court Judge Reva Khetrapal Takes Oath As Delhi's Lokayukta". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  2. "Former Judges: Justice Reva Khetrapal". Delhi High Court.
  3. Chamberlain, Gethin (2008-09-27). "Hari Puttar fails to conjure Harry Potter magic". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  4. "Hari Puttar: The boy who won - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  5. "Demolish illegal constructions in Arjun Singh's house: HC". DNA India. 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  6. "Delhi High Court Makes Public Assets of Its Judges". Outlook India. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  7. Correspondent, dna (2012-07-03). "AI strike: Court says solve the dispute amicably". DNA India. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  8. Reuters (2012-07-04). "Air India Pilots End Strike Over Plane Assignments (Published 2012)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  9. "Air India pilots 'to end strike'". BBC News. 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  10. "Varun gets bail from Delhi High Court". The Financial Express. 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  11. "Delhi High Court upholds death penalty of three youths for rape, murder of girl". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  12. "India court upholds 2012 Delhi gang rapists' death penalty". BBC News. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  13. "Nirbhaya case: Four Indian men executed for 2012 Delhi bus rape and murder". BBC News. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  14. "Five things you should know about Delhi's new Lokayukta". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  15. "Delhi's new Lokayukta: Justice Reva Khetrapal who upheld death for Dec 16 convicts". The Indian Express. 2015-10-21. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  16. Nath, Damini (2019-01-18). "Lokayukta, Delhi Assembly at loggerheads over notices to MLAs". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  17. "Classroom 'scam': Lokayukta seeks proof of graft against Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
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