The Gujarat Government today approached the Supreme Court challenging the state High Court order upholding the appointment of Justice R A Mehta as the Lokayukta by the governor.

The Gujarat High Court had yesterday upheld the appointment of Justice (Retd) Mehta as the Lokayukta while sharply criticising Chief Minister Narendra Modi for sparking a constitutional mini crisis.

Rejecting the state government's plea, three months after the High Court gave a split verdict, Justice V M Sahai said the “pranks” played by the Chief Minister on the Lokayukta issue “demonstrates destruction of our democracy”.

Justice Sahai, who was given the task of hearing the challenge against the appointment of Lokayukta following the conflicting verdict of the two-member bench, said Modi's “questionable” conduct of “stonewalling” the appointment of Justice Mehta threatened the rule of law.

Modi had insisted on Justice J R Vora to be appointed as Lokayukta but this was not accepted by the Chief Justice on the ground that the judge had been appointed as the Director of the Gujarat State Judicial Academy.