Nagpur: Justice Sunil Shukre, who headed Maharashtra’s Backward Class Commission during the state’s renewed push for Maratha reservation, would be the state’s new Lokayukta, sources said. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma will administer the oath to the former judge of Nagpur bench of Bombay high court at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai on Tuesday.The appointment comes as the state begins implementing its revamped Lokayukta framework under Maharashtra Lokayukta Act, 2023, as amended in 2025. The legislation provides for a Lokayukta headed by a chairperson who is or has been a chief justice (CJ) of a high court, a Supreme Court judge or a Bombay HC judge.The new law prescribes a five-year term or until the age of 70, whichever is earlier. Justice Shukre, who is below the statutory age ceiling, will therefore be eligible to serve a full five-year term. His appointment gives the state’s anti-corruption institution a former HC judge with over three decades of vast experience in constitutional, administrative and public-interest litigation.Justice Shukre was elevated to Bombay HC in 2013 and was associated for several years with the Nagpur bench. Court records show him presiding over a wide range of constitutional and civil matters, including many landmark PILs.After retiring, the Baji Prabu Nagar resident took over as chairman of Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission. He became one of the most prominent institutional figures in the Maratha reservation process.In February 2024, the commission submitted its report on the social, educational and economic status of the Maratha community to then chief minister Eknath Shinde. The commission’s findings subsequently formed the basis of the state’s legislation granting 10% reservation to the Maratha community.Justice Shukre’s transition from the Backward Class Commission to Lokayukta office comes when the institution is undergoing a statutory overhaul.The amended law establishes Lokayukta as a body comprising a chairperson and up to four members, including two judicial ones. Appointments are made by the governor on the recommendations of a selection committee comprising CM, Deputy CM, presiding officers of the state legislature, leaders of opposition in the assembly and council, and Bombay HC chief justice or a judge nominated by him.Justice Shukre’s elevation will complete the new leadership structure of the institution. Lokayukta is expected to play a central role in examining allegations of corruption and maladministration involving public functionaries. Under the new statutory framework, the institution has a broader and more clearly defined structure than under the earlier 1971 legislation.
