1he ongolng CovernmenL of lndla (CCl) and 1eam f

SLand of governmenL (govL verslon of Lhe lokpal)

Lokpal wlll noL have any power Lo elLher lnlLlaLe acLlon suo moLu (l e on lLs own moLlon) ln any
case or even recelve complalnLs of corrupLlon from general publlc 1he general publlc wlll make
complalnLs Lo Lhe speaker of Lok Sabha or chalrperson of 8a[ya Sabha Cnly Lhose complalnLs forwarded
by Speaker of Lok Sabha/ Chalrperson of 8a[ya Sabha Lo Lokpal would be lnvesLlgaLed by Lokpal 1hls
noL only severely resLrlcLs Lhe funcLlonlng of Lokpal lL also provldes a Lool ln Lhe hands of Lhe rullng
parLy Lo have only Lhose cases referred Lo Lokpal whlch perLaln Lo pollLlcal opponenLs (slnce speaker
ls always from Lhe rullng parLy) lL wlll also provlde a Lool ln Lhe hands of Lhe rullng parLy Lo proLecL
lLs own pollLlclans
LokpaL has proposed Lo be an advlsory body Lokpal afLer enqulry ln any case wlll forward lLs
reporL Lo Lhe compeLenL auLhorlLy 1he compeLenL auLhorlLy wlll have flnal powers Lo declde
wheLher Lo Lake acLlon on Lokpal's reporL or noL ln Lhe case of cablneL mlnlsLers Lhe compeLenL
auLhorlLy ls rlme MlnlsLer ln Lhe case of M and Ms Lhe compeLenL auLhorlLy ls LokSabha or 8a[ya
Sabha as Lhe case may be ln Lhe coallLlon era when Lhe governmenL of Lhe day depends upon Lhe
supporL of lLs pollLlcal parLners lL wlll be lmposslble for Lhe M Lo acL agalnsL any of hls cablneL
mlnlsLers on Lhe basls of Lokpal's reporL lor lnsLance lf Lhere were such a Lokpal Loday and lf Lokpal
made a recommendaLlon Lo Lhe M Lo prosecuLe A 8a[a obvlously Lhe M wlll noL have Lhe pollLlcal
courage Lo lnlLlaLe prosecuLlon agalnsL A 8a[a Llkewlse lf Lokpal made a reporL agalnsL Lhe M or
any M of Lhe rullng parLy wlll Lhe house ever pass a resoluLlon Lo prosecuLe Lhe M or Lhe rullng
parLy M? Cbvlously Lhey wlll never do LhaL
1he blll does noL say whaL wlll be Lhe role of C8l afLer Lhls blll Can C8l and Lokpal lnvesLlgaLe Lhe
same case or C8l wlll lose lLs powers Lo lnvesLlgaLe pollLlclans? lf Lhe laLLer ls Lrue Lhen Lhls blll ls
meanL Lo compleLely lnsulaLe pollLlclans from any lnvesLlgaLlons whaLsoever whlch are posslble
Loday Lhrough C8l
1here ls sLrong punlshmenL for frlvolous" complalnLs lf any complalnL ls found Lo be false and
frlvolous Lokpal wlll have Lhe power Lo send Lhe complalnanL Lo [all Lhrough summary Lrlal buL lf Lhe
complalnL were found Lo be Lrue Lhe Lokpal wlll noL have Lhe power Lo send Lhe corrupL pollLlclans
Lo [all! So Lhe blll appears Lo be meanL Lo browbeaL LhreaLen and dlscourage Lhose flghLlng agalnsL
corrupLlon
Lokpal wlll have [urlsdlcLlon only on Lhe M's mlnlsLers and M lL wlll noL have [urlsdlcLlon over
offlcers 1he offlcers and pollLlclans do noL lndulge ln corrupLlon separaLely ln any case of
corrupLlon Lhere ls always an lnvolvemenL of boLh of Lhem So accordlng Lo governmenL's proposal
every case would need Lo be lnvesLlgaLed by boLh CvC and Lokpal So now ln each case CvC wlll
look lnLo Lhe role of bureaucraLs whlle Lokpal wlll look lnLo Lhe role of pollLlclans Cbvlously Lhe case
records wlll be wlLh one agency and Lhe way governmenL funcLlons lL wlll noL share lLs records wlLh
Lhe oLher agency lL ls also posslble LhaL ln Lhe same case Lhe Lwo agencles arrlve aL compleLely
opposlLe concluslons 1herefore lL appears Lo be a sure way of kllllng any case
1he selecLlon of commlLLee conslsLs of resldenL M Leaders of boLh houses Leaders of opposlLlon
ln boLh houses Law MlnlsLer and Pome mlnlsLer 8arrlng vlce resldenL all of Lhem are pollLlclans whose
corrupLlon Lokpal ls supposed Lo lnvesLlgaLe So Lhere ls a dlrecL confllcL of lnLeresL Also selecLlon
commlLLee ls heavlly loaded ln favour of Lhe rullng parLy LffecLlvely rullng parLy wlll make Lhe flnal
selecLlons And obvlously rullng parLy wlll never appolnL sLrong and effecLlve Lokpal
Lokpal wlll noL have power Lo lnvesLlgaLe any case agalnsL M whlch deals wlLh forelgn affalrs
securlLy and defence 1hls means LhaL corrupLlon ln defence deals wlll be ouL of any scruLlny
whaLsoever lL wlll become lmposslble Lo lnvesLlgaLe lnLo any 8ofors ln fuLure
Whereas a Llme llmlL of slx monLhs Lo one year has been prescrlbed for Lokpal Lo enqulre however
subsequenLly Lhere ls no Llme llmlL prescrlbed for compleLlon of Lrlal
lL does noL deal wlLh corrupLlon of bureaucraLs CorrupL bureaucraLs conLlnue ln Lhelr [ob wlLhouL
any acLlon agalnsL Lhem
lL does noL Lalk of Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon of complalnL agalnsL [udges
Speaker would declde whlch complalnLs shall be enqulred lnLo lokpal
Cur enLlre governmenL sysLem suffers from lnadequaLe publlc grlevance redressal sysLems whlch
force people Lo pay brlbes Lokpal blll does noL address Lhls lssue
Large number of people ralslng Lhelr volce agalnsL pollLlcal corrupLlon are belng murdered Lokpal
does noL have any powers Lo provlde proLecLlon Lo Lhem
noLhlng has been provlded ln law Lo recover l l l goLLen weal Lh A corrupL person can come
ouL of [ al l and en[oy LhaL money
under Lhe presenL law Lhere ls Small punlshmenL for corrupLlonunl s hmenL f or c or r up L l on
l s mlnlmum 6 monLhs and maxlmum 7years
S1Anu Cl 1LAM AnnA (LCkAL vL8SlCn Cl 1LAM AnnA)
Lokpal wlll have powers Lo lnlLlaLe lnvesLlgaLlons suo moLo ln any case and also Lo dlrecLly enLerLaln
complalnLs from Lhe publlc lL wlll noL need reference or permlsslon from anyone Lo lnlLlaLe
lnvesLlgaLlon lnLo any case
Lokpal ls noL an advlsory body lL wlll have Lhe powers Lo lnlLlaLe prosecuLlon agalnsL any one afLer
compleLlon of lnvesLlgaLlons ln any case lL wlll also have powers Lo order dlsclpllnary proceedlngs
agalnsL any governmenL servanL
Lokpal would have pollce powers lL wlll be able Lo reglsLer ll8 proceed wlLh crlmlnal lnvesLlgaLlons
and launch prosecuLlon
1haL parL of C8l whlch deals wlLh cases of corrupLlon wlll be merged lnLo Lokpal so LhaL Lhere ls [usL
one effecLlve and lndependenL body Lo Lake acLlon agalnsL corrupLlon
ueLerrence has been provlded agalnsL frlvolous complalnLs ln Lhe form of flnanclal penalLles agalnsL Lhe
complalnanL however LokayukLa ls empowered Lo prosecuLe Lhe corrupL and Lake dlsclpllnary
acLlon agalnsL Lhem
Lokpal wlll have [urlsdlcLlon over pollLlclans offlclals and [udges CvC and Lhe enLlre vlgllance
machlnery of governmenL wlll be merged lnLo Lokpal
Lokpal would have Len members and one Chalrperson CuL of Lhem four need Lo have legal background
(Lhey need noL be [udges) CLhers could be from any background
SelecLlon commlLLee conslsLs of members from [udlclal background Chlef LlecLlon Commlssloner
CompLroller and AudlLor Ceneral of lndla and lnLernaLlonal awardees (llke nobel prlze wlnners and
Magsaysay awardees of lndlan orlgln) A deLalled LransparenL and parLlclpaLory selecLlon process has
been prescrlbed
1here ls no such bar on Lokpal's powers
lnvesLlgaLlons should be compleLed wlLhln one year 1rlal should geL over wlLhln Lhe nexL one year
Lokpal wlll have power Lo dlrecL dlsclpllnary acLlon lncludlng dlsmlssal of a corrupL offlcer from [ob
Lokpal wlll have powers Lo lnlLlaLe lnvesLlgaLlons on complalnLs of corrupLlon agalnsL [udges
Lokpal wlll noL be able Lo dlsmlss any complalnL from publlc wlLhouL hearlng Lhe complalnanL
Lokpal wlll have Lhe powers Lo orders redressal ln a Llme bound manner lL wlll have powers Lo
lmpose flnanclal penalLles on gullLy offlcers whlch would be pald Lo complalnanL as compensaLlon
Lokpal wlll have powers Lo provlde proLecLlon agalnsL physlcal and professlonal vlcLlmlzaLlon
of whlsLle blowers
Loss caused Lo Lhe governmenL due Lo corrupLl on wl l l be recovered from al l accused
Lnhanced punlshmenL 1 h e punlshmenL would be mlnlmum 3y e a r s a n d ma x l m u m o f
l l f e lmprlsonmenL
under Lhe [an lokpal blll anyone can make a complalnL no CovernmenL offlcer ls barred from maklng
acomplalnL