Thiruvananthapuram | BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday met Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and urged him not to approve the state cabinet decision to appoint Justice (Rtd.) Babu Mathew P Joseph as the Ombudsman for local bodies, the party said.

Chandrasekhar and BJP state general secretary, advocate S Suresh, met the Governor at the Lok Bhavan and gave a petition to him opposing the appointment, a party statement said.

The BJP leaders, in their petition, contended that under the provisions of the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999, a former Lok Ayukta or Upa Lok Ayukta is prevented from holding any subsequent office of profit under the government or any authority, corporation, company, society or university.

They said that since Justice Joseph was a former Upa Lok Ayukta and the post of Ombudsman being a statutory appointment with remuneration from government funds, he cannot be selected for that post.