The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it will constitute a Lokayukta by February 2019. A Lokayukta is an independent investigative authority which can inquire into corruption complaints against elected representatives.

The Supreme Court had set a deadline of 2 pm on Wednesday for the state to file a status report on its Lokayukta, The News Minute reported. In July, the state Assembly had passed a bill to set up a Lokayukta.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard public interest litigations filed by multiple parties, including advocate Prashant Bhushan, demanding to know the status of the Lokayukta in Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, the bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi criticised the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government for not submitting any information regarding the formation of the ombudsman, Puthiya Thalaimurai reported.

The court said it had noticed from the beginning that the state was not interested in forming a Lokayukta and accused it of adopting delaying tactics. It ordered the state to file a status report by 2 pm, with which the government complied.

In March, the Supreme Court had asked the chief secretaries of 11 states, including Tamil Nadu, why they had not yet appointed a Lokayukta.