Lokpal Bill: Parliamentary Committee faced with tough task

New Delhi, Sep 18 (PTI) The Parliamentary Committee
going into the Lokpal bill in India will begin grappling with
a difficult task this week when it is expected to hear
conflicting demands from various organisations including CVC
and CBI on how best to check corruption.
Two crucial meetings of the Standing Committee on Law
and Justice, Personnel and Public Grievances, which was
reconstituted just three days back, have been scheduled on
September 23 and 24 by its Chairman Abhishek Singhvi.
During the recently concluded Monsoon Session of
Parliament, the Committee was given three months time to give
its report.
The Committee has to devise ways to form a strong Lokpal
Bill and solve the differences between civil society headed by
Anna Hazare and the government over the bill.
While government has brought forward the Lokpal Bill to
check the menace of corruption, civil society has come up with
Jan Lokpal Bill with certain powers and jurisdiction which did
not find favour with the government.
Besides the Central Vigilance Commission and the Central
Bureau of Investigation, those who have been called to give
evidence before the Standing Committee include social activist
Aruna Roy, eminent lawyer Harish Salve, and Dalit leader Udit
Raj.
The 31-member committee has besides Singhvi a number of
legal experts including Ram Jethmalani of the BJP, Vijay
Bahadur Singh of the BSP, Manish Tewari and Shantaram Naik of
the Congress as also leaders like Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas
Paswan and Amar Singh.
The Committee has already heard Team Anna and has
requested all stakeholders to give it a fair chance. "It may,
in fact, surprise all critics," Singhvi said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made it clear
it would be entitled to consider not only the bill introduced
by government but the Jan Lokpal Bill and other versions like
those prepared by Aruna Roy.
While Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar is
scheduled to appear before the Committee on September 23, CBI
Director A P Singh will present his case the next day.
CVC officials fear that there may be a conflict of
interest in case the Lokpal comes into force in the form being
envisaged by the civil society.
There are also reports that CVC could suggest
incorporating either the Central Vigilance Commissioner or one
of the two Vigilance Commissioners into the Lokpal for smooth
functioning.
In matters relating to offences made under the
Prevention of Corruption Act, CVC exercises superintendence
over the CBI. The Commission can undertake an inquiry or
investigatio nagainst a public servant working in any
organisation under the government and suspected of indulging
in corrupt practises.
As the setting up of a Lokpal is a matter of time now,
the talk is that the CBI and the CVC's existence as two of
India's premier, independent anti-corruption agencies could
get threatened.
CBI officials in private have voiced their strong
reservation about bifurcating or dividing it as has been
sought by the civil society.
As against this, former CBI Director R K Raghavan has
come out openly for autonomy, which, at present "remains an
appendage of the executive to be manipulated at will by it."
Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy has also given her
version of the Lokpal Bill.
A member of National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by
Congress president Sonia Gandhi said she was opposed to the
Team Anna version of Lokpal Bill which she feels to be "too
simplistic".
Harish Salve, a former Solicitor General, has gone on
record dubbing the Jan Lokpal Bill as "draconian".
Udit Raj is opposed to the Jan Lokpal bill and is
pitching for a "truly representative" Bahujan Lokpal Bill.