Consider the following statements about Lokpal:
- I.The power of Lokpal applies to public servants of India, but not to the Indian public servants posted outside India.
- II.The Chairperson or a Member shall not be a Member of the Parliament or a Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory, and only the Chief Justice of India, whether incumbent or retired, has to be its Chairperson.
- III.The Chairperson or a Member shall not be a person of less than forty-five years of age on the date of assuming office as the Chairperson or Member, as the case may be.
- IV.Lokpal cannot inquire into the allegations of corruption against a sitting Prime Minister of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) III only
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 covers public servants both in and outside India, allows the Chairperson to be a Supreme Court judge or an eminent person as well as a Chief Justice, and does reach the Prime Minister, with safeguards. Only the minimum age of forty-five years in statement III matches the Act.
- ✗ I Section 1(3) says the Act applies to public servants in and outside India, so Indian public servants posted abroad are covered.
- ✗ II A sitting MP or State legislator is barred from the post, but the Chairperson need not be a Chief Justice: a Supreme Court judge, present or past, or an eminent person meeting the eligibility conditions also qualifies.
- ✓ III Section 3(4) bars anyone below forty-five years of age on the date of assuming office as Chairperson or Member.
- ✗ IV Section 14 brings a Prime Minister within the Lokpal's jurisdiction, with limits: matters of international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy and space are excluded, and a full bench must approve an inquiry by two-thirds.
Remember · Lokpal Act 2013: applies to public servants in and outside India; Chairperson may be a CJI, SC judge or eminent person; minimum age 45; Prime Minister covered, with safeguards.
Sources
- The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (Gazette copy, DoPT, Government of India): section 1 ↗ “It extends to the whole of India. (3) It shall apply to public servants in and outside India. … a Chairperson, who is or has been a Chief Justice of India or is or has been a Judge of the Supreme Court or an eminent person who fulfils the eligibility specified in clause (b) of sub-section (3) … a person of less than forty-five years of age, on the date of assuming office as the Chairperson or Member, as the case may be … any person who is or has been a Prime Minister: Provided that the Lokpal shall not inquire into any matter involved in, or arising from, or connected with, any such allegation of corruption against the Prime Minister”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·