As noted social activist Anna Hazare started his fast-unto-death in the national capital, there is a need to take a look at his draft Jan Lokpal bill and the government's Lokpal Bill. The government proposes to set up Lokpal to check corruption at high places and salvage its image. But there are stark differences between the government's version of the Lokpal Bill and the civil society's. The government Bill, actually, seems to...
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The fatal flaws in the government's Lokpal Bill by Iftikhar Gilani
Anna Hazare’s fast puts into focus the government’s attempts to protect politicians India Against Corruption, a group formed by Anna Hazare and other social activists and former judges, has given 17 reasons why the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, now the Karnataka Lokayukta, is far better than the Bill prepared by the union government. The Jan Lokpal Bill, hailed as a civil society initiative, provides for...
More »Central RTI law: some shine, still shackled
The Right to Information Bill tabled in Parliament raises expectations to new levels by proposing a dedicated Information Commission for enforcement. Except, the commission is crippled at conception, with no direct penalizing powers. Prakash Kardaley comments. The Central Right to Information Act as tabled before the Parliament is flawed. The penalty clause as proposed by the Sonia Gandhi chaired National Advisory Council (NAC) has been mercilessly diluted. The provision to keep...
More »Judicial check by V Venkatesan
The quashing of the appointment of P.J. Thomas as the CVC shows the judiciary can go beyond the express provisions of law to render justice. THE Indian Constitution does not envisage strict separation of powers among the three branches of the government – the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. This flexibility permits marginal incursions though one branch cannot usurp the essential functions of the other. One of the essential functions...
More »GoM splits over PM in Lokpal purview by Josy Joseph
The age-old debate of whether the PM should be brought under the Lokpal has returned to the centre of discussion at the highest echelons as a group of ministers considers the anti-corruption mechanism. The GoM, headed by Pranab Mukherjee, is laying out UPA-2's roadmap to fight corruption, as it reels under an unprecedented onslaught by gigantic scams all around. Sources said the GoM, in its upcoming meeting, would look at the Lokpal...
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