COVID-19 claims life of Lokpal member Justice AK Tripathi

New Delhi: Lokpal member Justice (retired) Ajay Kumar Tripathi, who tested positive for COVID-19, died after suffering a cardiac arrest at the AIIMS Trauma Centre here on Saturday, official sources said.

Tripathi (62) breathed his last around 9pm.

A former chief justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court, he had been in the AIIMS Trauma Centre, which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, since the first week of April.

"He was very sick. He was in the ICU and on ventilator for last three days," one of the sources said.

Tripathi is one of the four judicial members of the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal.

"He was a distinguished judge of Patna High Court and Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh HC. We had practised together in Patna HC too," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a tweet.

"Sincere condolences to his wife Alka Tripathi & entire family," the minister said.

Tripathi started his practice in 1981 at Patna High Court in Service, Constitutional, Taxation, Excise and commercial litigations. He was the Standing Counsel for the Union of India and the Income Tax Department. He also served as Additional Advocate General for the State of Bihar.

On 9th October 2006, he was elevated as an Additional Judge of Patna High Court and became a Permanent Judge. He was appointed as Hon'ble Judicial Member of Lokpal on 27th March 2019.