“The Lokpal of India is committed to address concerns and aspirations of the citizens of India for clean governance. It shall make all efforts within its jurisdiction to serve the public interest and shall endeavour to use the powers vested in it to eradicate corruption in public life.” And for that, it requires seven BMW cars worth ₹70 lakh each.

The Lokpal, which emerged from the 2011 anti-corruption movement that also contributed to the defeat of the UPA government in 2014, is finally bustling with activity after remaining largely moribund for years — but for the wrong reasons. The anti-graft ombudsman has been hauled over the coals for floating a tender to procure seven luxury sedans.

The tender issued on October 16 and addressed to bidders seeks to purchase seven BMW 330Li M Sport (long wheelbase) sedans. The manufacturer’s website describes the 330Li M Sport as the longest and most spacious car in the segment designed for outstanding comfort in an extremely luxurious cabin.

The tender also mandates that the selected vendor must conduct “comprehensive practical and theoretical training programme for the drivers and other designated staff members” for which the cost will be borne exclusively by the vendor.

Under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, the salary, allowances and other conditions of service of the chairperson shall be the same as the Chief Justice of India, and those of other members shall be the same as a Supreme Court judge.

The CJI is allotted a Mercedes and other judges of the court are currently given BMWs. The current Lokpal is former apex court judge A.M. Khanwilkar, whose landmark judgments prioritised national security over personal liberty.

Without any major conviction to its credit in the six years of its existence, the Lokpal’s tender has been condemned by Opposition leaders and activists as a brazen display of extravagance.

Legal activist Prashant Bhushan, a key member of the Lokpal movement, posted on X: “The institution of Lokpal has been ground to dust by the Modi govt, by keeping it vacant for many years & then appointing servile members who are not bothered by graft & are happy with their luxuries.”

Former CBI director M. Nageswara Rao called the 2013 Act “a flawed law that established the Lokpal as a redundant ombudsman”.

He claimed in an X post: “Having known Arun Jaitley Ji for nearly two decades, I received a call from him in December 2018 or January 2019 (when I was Director, CBI) to discuss forming the Lokpal and potential candidates. I argued that the Lokpal was unnecessary due to the existing Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), emphasising that it would only waste public resources and merely provide lucrative post-retirement positions for retired judges and bureaucrats.

“Instead, I proposed strengthening institutions like the CVC and CBI for greater effectiveness, rather than creating another redundant body. I suggested repealing the Lokpal Act, 2013, via an Ordinance or, alternatively, abolishing the CVC by repealing its Act, given their overlapping functions. Jaitley Ji explained that repealing either act before the elections was politically unfeasible.”

Jaitley was the finance minister at that time.

Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed said: “This is the same institution that was supposed to fight corruption after the so-called ‘India Against Corruption’ movement — a movement backed by the RSS and designed only to bring down the Congress government. That movement made @narendramodi the Prime Minister, and he delivered a Lokpal that exists only on paper and now filled with corrupt officers enjoying taxpayers’ money.”

Former central information commissioner Yashovardhan Azad took a dig at the Lokpal, saying he “supported” its demand for seven BMW cars. “Struggling to prosecute a single case of corruption, it needs an ambient environment to pursue its mission. High octane may make it heady enough to launch its first strike against graft,” he said in a caustic remark.

Former NITI Aayog chairman Amitabh Kant went on a swadeshi tangent. “They need to cancel this tender and go in for @makeinindia Electric Vehicles — either Mahindra’s XEV 9E, BE 6 or Tata’s Harrier EV. They are top-class vehicles,” he posted on X.

The switch from the Ambassador to high-security BMWs for the Prime Minister happened during Manmohan Singh’s tenure. Modi uses a Range Rover Sentinel worth around ₹10 crore. Other cars Modi has used include the BMW 760Li Security Edition, the Mercedes-Maybach S650 Guard, and the cheapest of them all — a Toyota Land Cruiser that costs a little over ₹2 crore.

Senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde said: “The Supreme Court and some high court judges have such cars as the official vehicle. The Lokpal members have to keep up with the Joneses, especially when they are retired judges from those institutions. I have often said that in Delhi, a lawyer is judged by the length of his car and not the strength of his argument.”