Lokpal bill panel to meet today

The joint drafting committee comprising five Union ministers and social activist Anna Hazare's representatives will meet in New Delhi on Monday to take forward the latest version of the Jan Lokpal bill to combat corruption.

The fourth meeting of the team led by Hazare is expected to ask the ministerial to call at least three meetings every week to complete the drafting process by the June 30, deadline set in the gazette notification issued by the government.

At the third meeting of the joint drafting committee, there was a general agreement on seven of the 34 points submitted by the civil society members.

There was agreement on empowering the Lokpal to initiate a suo motu probe into the allegations of corruption against ministers, MPs and senior bureaucrats.

Currently, a minister can be prosecuted only after sanction from the Prime Minister. Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairman has to give the nod in case of action against MPs.

Former Union minister Shanti Bhushan, a member of Hazare's team and co-chair of the Committee, in a letter to Mukherjee last week had suggested that government first present its views on all the remaining points and possible solutions on issues on which there were divergent views.