India’s top anti-corruption body, Lokpal, faces backlash for paying Rs 50 lakh/month rent at The Ashok Hotel and planning to buy seven Rs 70 lakh BMWs for its members. Critics question the priority of luxury over accountability and justice.
New Delhi: The office of the Lokpal, India’s top anti-corruption body, has faced widespread criticism after it was revealed that the institution was paying Rs 50 lakh per month in rent to The Ashok Hotel, Delhi, for its temporary office space.
This comes even as the Lokpal has not recorded a single conviction in its functioning so far. A senior official from the Personnel Ministry confirmed that the Lokpal is likely to move into its own permanent building, ending its stay at the five-star hotel in Chanakyapuri.
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According to the official,
“Total monthly rent is around Rs 50 lakh and Rs 3,85,09,354 has been paid from March 22, 2019 to October 31, 2019 for rent,”
the Lokpal of India said in response to an RTI application filed by a PTI journalist.
Currently, the Lokpal is a seven-member body led by former Supreme Court judge Justice A M Khanwilkar, one member short of its authorized strength of eight.
Other members include former Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Justice Sanjay Yadav; former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi; former judge of Karnataka High Court Justice L Narayana Swamy; former Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra; former Chief Secretary of Gujarat Pankaj Kumar; and former Secretary of the Women and Child Development Ministry Ajay Tikrey.
Adding to the controversy, the Lokpal issued a tender on October 16, inviting bids for seven BMW 3 Series 330Li cars for its members. The tender specifies the ‘M Sport’ model with a long wheelbase in white.
Bidders are required to submit earnest money of Rs 10 lakh, and the cars must be delivered within two weeks but not later than 30 days from the issuance of the supply order, with no extension permitted.
The tender sparked sharp criticism from public figures and politicians. Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog and India’s G20 Sherpa, posted on X:
“They need to cancel this tender and go for @makeinindia Electric Vehicles – either Mahindra’s XEV 9E, BE 6 or Tata’s Harrier EV. They are top class vehicles.”
Advocate Prashant Bhushan also criticized the move, stating that members were
“now buying Rs 70 lakh BMW cars for themselves.”
Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram questioned the necessity of purchasing luxury BMW vehicles for Lokpal members, asking,
“When Honourable judges of the Supreme Court are provided modest sedans, why do the Chairman and six members of the Lokpal require BMW cars? Why spend public money to acquire these cars? I hope that at least one or two members of the Lokpal have refused, or will refuse, to accept these cars.”
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi commented on the irony of the situation, saying,
“I chaired the Parliamentary Committee on Lokpal. Dr. L.M. Singhvi first conceived the idea of Lokpal in the early 1960s. To see this anti-corruption body now ordering BMWs for its members is tragic irony, the guardians of integrity chasing luxury over legitimacy.”
He further added,
“8,703 complaints. Only 24 probes. 6 prosecution sanctions. And now, BMWs worth Rs 70 lakh each. If this is our anti-corruption watchdog, it’s more poodle than panther!”
TMC MP Saket Gokhale criticized the tender, highlighting the financial implications,
“Lokpal’s luxury. Annual budget of India’s Lokpal is Rs 44.32 crore. Now, Lokpal is purchasing 7 luxury BMW cars at approx Rs 5 crore for all members. This equals 10% of the entire annual budget.”
He questioned,
“Lokpal is supposedly an anti-corruption body. So who will probe the corrupt Lokpal?”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also expressed her disapproval, saying,
“Gazab ka Jokepal at Indian taxpayers’ expense. Oh, between what happened to Swadesi call by Gol?”
The Lokpal was established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, to investigate complaints of corruption against public officials, including ministers, MPs, and government officers.
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It is a statutory, multi-member institution designed to function independently of the government to ensure transparency, accountability, and integrity in public offices. Despite its mandate, the Lokpal has yet to secure any convictions, raising concerns about its efficiency.
While the Chief Justice of India is entitled to a Mercedes, other Supreme Court judges receive BMW 3 Series vehicles—the same model that the Lokpal now plans to purchase for its members, igniting debates about prioritizing luxury over its anti-corruption mission.
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