Whistle-blowers Bill passed

NEW DELHI: A Bill which seeks amendments, cleared by the

to provide
p for settingg up p a Union Cabinet recently. One
regular
g mechanism to en- of them was renaming the
courage
g persons
p to disclose Bill.
information on corruption p
p
or wilful misuse of power byy SPG out of Bill
public
p servants,, includingg A major amendment
Ministers,, was passed
p byy the cleared byy the Cabinet is the
Lok Sabha on Tuesday night. inclusion of Ministers,, MPs,,
The Whistleblowers’ Pro- defence services,, intelli-
tection Bill,, 2011,, also
o seeks ggence agencies,
g , bank officials
to provide
p “adequate
q protec-
p and PSUs under the ambit of
tion to persons
p reporting
p g The Special Protec-
the bill. T
corruption
p or wilful misuse tion Group (SPG) has been
of discretion which causes kept out of the ambit of the
demonstrable loss to the gov- g Bill.
ernment or commission of a One of the recommenda-
criminal offence by a public tions of the Committee to
servant.”
servant. include higher judiciary
While the measure sets (Judges of Supreme Court
out the procedure to inquireq and High Courts) has been
into the disclosures and d pro-
p rejected.
j
vides adequate
q safeguards
g The definition of “disclo-
against
g victimisation of the sure” has also been amended
whistleblower,, it also seeks to include wilful misuse of
to provide
p punishment
p for power or wilful misuse of
p
false or frivolous complaints. discretion which leads to de-
Accepting some key rec- monstrable loss to the gov-g
ommendations of a Parlia- ernment or demonstrable
mentary Committee which ggain to the ppublic servant or
scrutinised the Public Inter- any third party.
est Disclosure and Protec- The definition of compe-
tion to Persons Makingg the tent authority to which a
Disclosures Bill, 2010, the complaint can be made has
government had moved also been expanded. — PTI