JAN LOKPAL BILL

Anna Hazare spearheaded a nationwide campaign to demand a strong anti-corruption law

Jan Lokpal Bill.

Let s understand

JAN LOKPAL BILL

Institution of Jan Lokpal at central govt level Jan Lokayukta in each state Correspondingly Jan Lokpal to accept corruption complaints against Central govt dept and Jan Lokayukta against state govt dept Each will have 10 members and 1 chairperson

Let s understand

JAN LOKPAL BILL

Will be completely Independent Politicians and bureaucrats will not able to interfere in their functioning Will get whatever financial resources they require and will be empowered to select and employ any number of employees from within the government or outside.

Corruption at High Levels

Present System - Despite Evidence, No Punishment
Proposed System - Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta will ensure punishment for corruption by:

Time bound investigations

Investigation to be completed within 1 year May employ more staff to complete within time

Corruption at High Levels

After investigation if proven guilty following 2 actions shall be taken:

Power to dismiss corrupt officers

If complaint is proved, can remove a govt officer or impose departmental penalties

 Time bound trial

Will file a case in trial court Trial in the court to complete & announce punishment within next 1 year May direct the govt to set up additional courts to complete the trial in time

Corruption at High Levels

Provision for:

Recovery of loss caused to govt

During investigations, they shall ban transfer of assets of the accused At the time of conviction, the court will assess the loss caused to the govt Entire loss to be recovered from the assets of the accused

Currently no such provision in our existing laws

Corruption at High Levels

Provision for: 

Confiscation of Assets
Each bureaucrat, politician and judge to submit their statement of moveable and immoveable assets every year This will be declared publicly, on the official website

Corruption at High Levels

Provision for: 

Confiscation of Assets
If an asset is found to be owned by a public servant later and undeclared, it will be deemed to be obtained through corruption After each election, assets declared by each candidate to be verified If undeclared assets are found, a case will be registered

Corruption at High Levels

And most importantly Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta have:

Power to punish if its orders are not followed

Can impose financial penalties on the guilty officials. Initiate contempt proceedings against the guilty officials.

Corruption at Low Levels

Common man is compelled to pay bribe
Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta will provide relief to the common as:

Each govt dept will have to make Citizen s Charter

Charter specifies who does what job and in how much time Eg. charter will tell X officer will make ration card in Y days

Corruption at Low Levels

If Charter is not followed, then people can complain to the Head of that department who will be designated as the Public Grievance Officer (PGO)

PGO will redress the complaint within 30 days maximum

Corruption at Low Levels

If PGO doesn t satisfy the complainant, then a complaint can be made to the Vigilance officer of Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta. When a complaint is made to Jan Lokpal or Jan Lokayukta, it will be deemed to have corruption angle.

Corruption at Low Levels

The Vigilance Officer will have to Solve the grievance in 30 days Impose penalty on the guilty officers which will be given to the Complainant as compensation Start investigations of corruption against guilty officers

How to ensure that there is no corruption within Jan Lokpal or Jan Lokayukta?

1. By ensuring that the right person is selected!

Selection process for the members and Chairperson of Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta has been kept transparent and participatory  Selected by a Selection Committee comprising: Prime Minister Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha 2 youngest judges of Supreme Court (SC) 2 youngest Chief Justices of High Courts Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)

1. By ensuring that the right person is selected!

The Selection Committee will make the above appointment from a pool of shortlisted candidates that has been identified by a Search Committee Search Committee is a 10-member committee formed as follows:

Selection Committee selects 5 members from retired Chief Election Commissioners and retired CAGs. These 5 members will select another 5 members from civil society to make the 10-member Search Committee.

1. Ensuring that the right person is selected!

When the Selection Committee chooses, those CECs and CAGs are ineligible to become part of Search Committee: who have any substantive allegation of corruption against them who have joined any political party after retirement who are still in any government appointment

1. Ensuring that the right person is selected!

Search Committee will invite recommendations from various eminent people from reputed institutions Like for instance Directors of IITs ,IIMs , Editors and many others. Names will be put up on a website and public feedback invited Search committee will choose 3 times the number of vacancies, by consensus

2. Ensuring that the right person is selected!

Selection committee will choose from this list, by consensus All the meetings of the Search Committee and Selection Committee shall be video recorded and will be made public. Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta will select & appoint its own officers and staff

2. By ensuring that they work well!

Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta are directly accountable to people & transparent

Every complaint will have to be heard

No complaint can be rejected without giving a hearing to the complainant. If any case is closed like this, all records relating to it will be made public

2. By ensuring that they work well!

Will have to publish every month on its website: Cases received and cases disposed Cases closed, reasons for closure List of cases pending All records of all works will be open to the public, except some which: Affect national security Endanger the whistle blower Impede the process of ongoing investigation. But after investigation is complete, these will have to be disclosed

3. By ensuring that Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukt are not influenced!
The Chairperson and members of Lokpal and Lokayukta will not be eligible for appointment to any position in the govt or for contesting elections after they leave office.

4. By ensuring that if not working well, can be removed!

Complaints against Staff like the Public Grievance Officers, Vigilance Officers, Chief Vigilance Officers will be made to Jan Lokpal or Jan Lokayukta
Enquiry of complaint within 1 month If the allegation proved, Jan Lokpal or Jan Lokayukt will dismiss him from job in the next 1 month Criminal case will be registered under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act

4. By ensuring that if not working well can be removed!

Complaints against members and chair person of Lokpal and Lokayukta: Will be made to Supreme Court or respective High Court through a petition A five judge bench of respective Court, will hear the petition After hearing may order the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) SIT will have to conduct inquiry and submit its report within 3 months On the basis of this enquiry report, the respective Court may order removal of the member or Chairperson.

Comparison
CURRENT SYSTEM
PROPOSED JAN LOKPAL-JAN LOKAYUKTA SYSTEM Under Jan Lokpal Bill, the full bench of Lokpal will give permission to file a case against any judge. No permission will be required from Chief Justice of India. Therefore, corruption in higher judiciary will also be checked through Jan Lokpal Bill.

No FIR can be registered against any Supreme Court or High Court judge without the permission of Chief Justice of India. It has been seen in the past that the Chief Justice of India tries to protect his own fraternity of judges and rarely gives such a permission.

JUDGES SC & HC

Comparison
CURRENT SYSTEM
PROPOSED JAN LOKPAL-JAN LOKAYUKTA SYSTEM

PUNISHMENT

The quantum of punishment for people convicted of corruption ranges from: 6 months to 7 years of imprisonment which is inadequate!

The punishment will range from: 1 year rigorous imprisonment to life sentence. Higher punishment for those in higher rank.

Comparison
CURRENT SYSTEM
PROPOSED JAN LOKPAL-JAN LOKAYUKTA SYSTEM

In the current system, if anyone obtains any benefit from the government illegally, it is difficult to prove that the person did so by paying bribes

If a person obtains any benefit from the government in violation of a law or rules and regulations, that person along with concerned public servants shall be deemed to have indulged in corrupt practices.

EVIDENCE

Comparison
CURRENT SYSTEM
PROPOSED JAN LOKPAL-JAN LOKAYUKTA SYSTEM Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta will be responsible for providing the whistleblowers, whether inside or outside the government, protection from: - Professional threat or victimisation - Physical threat or victimisation

Whistleblowers

Currently, people who report corrupt practices or raise their voice against corruption are being threatened, victimized and even murdered. There is no protection for them.

Comparison
CURRENT SYSTEM
PROPOSED JAN LOKPAL-JAN LOKAYUKTA SYSTEM At central govt level, anti-corruption Presently there are branch of CBI, CVC and all internal multiple anti-corruption vigilance wings of all dept should be merged into Jan Lokpal. agencies like: At state level, anti-corruption CBI, CVC, ACB, state branch of state police, the state vigilance department vigilance department, internal vigilance wings of all departments All these are controlled and existing Lokayuktas in states by corrupt officials and should be merged into Jan Lokayukta of that state. politicians and are This will do away with multiplicity ineffective. of anti-corruption agencies.

Multiple Anti- Corruption Agencies

But now some people are saying

.Prime Minister should not be covered under Jan Lokpal! Judiciary should not be covered under Jan Lokpal .

People s Grievances will overburden them . Lokpal should only investigate a few high profile cases of corruption! ..Lokpal should not be given the responsibility of protecting the whistleblowers! CBI, CVC and departmental vigilance should not be merged into Lokpal Let Lokpal be a small body and let the existing anti-corruption bodies keep functioning in ineffective manner as they are

What do you think?

Please raise your voice Don t keep silent Write to the newspapers and TV channels in your area and tell them what do you want

Give us Suggestions on Jan Lokpal Bill

By email: lokpalbillcomments@gmail.com Or By post : A-119, First Floor, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh: 201010 2.2 Version of Jan Lokpal Bill can be downloaded from www.indiaagainstcorruption.org Join the movement
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