The much-awaited and debated Lokpal Bill was finally introduced in the Parliament on Thursday. While Anna Hazare and team burnt copies of the bill calling it 'anti-poor', 'anti-Dalit', the Bharatiya Janata Party raised several objections to the proposed bill, mainly objecting to exclusion of prime minister from the purview of the proposed legislation.
'The CBI and its independence was discussed in great detail. We invited and sought the views of the CBI director as well as several government officials. But the ingenious solution to the problem came from within the committee. The effort was to somehow find a solution. It would not have been possible to draft this Bill if members had not been liberal in their views and if they had not been prepared to rid themselves of their political bias.' Congress MP Satyavrat Chaturvedi, who headed the Parliamentary committee which proposed the recommendations for the Lokpal Bill, speaks to Anita Katyal in an exclusive interview.
The much-delayed Lokpal Bill has finally been passed by both the Houses of Parliament. Following are some important features of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, passed by Parliament
The government on Wednesday said it wants to bring the bill to set up anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal, in Rajya Sabha during the first part of the current Budget session of Parliament.
Team Anna member N Santosh Hegde on Friday blamed all political parties for non-passage of the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha, saying it was "choreographed by everybody".
After having shaken up the United Progressive Alliance government through his fast at the Ramlila Grounds, Anna Hazare has now decided to focus on the Congress party as his enemy number 1.
The Lok Pal Bill has been referred to the standing committee of Parliament on personnel, public grievances, law and hustice. In this FAQ, MR Madhavan explains the process of these committees.
Alleging that ruling Congress is "not serious" about bringing Lokpal Bill, the Bharatiya Janata Party has said that the United Progressive Alliance government could have brought the anti-graft legislation long ago as there was consensus over the issue.
Anna Hazare on Saturday wrote a fresh letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying doubts have arisen over whether Lokpal Bill will be passed by December 23 when Parliament session gets over and threatened to go ahead with his proposed fast and 'jail bharo' agitation.
Terming the joining of hands of civil society and government on the Lokpal Bill issue as a step that augurs well for democracy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the government intended to introduce the "historic legislation" in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley has written to activist Anna Hazare, who is currently on an indefinite fast to demand the passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill.
The Constitutional (116 amendment) bill, which will have to be passed by a two-thirds majority of Parliament, is the enabling bill that would enable the law-makers to grant the Lokpal constitutional status. If that is not passed, it will also mean the end of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas bill. Sheela Bhatt reports.
The Constitutional (116 amendment) bill, which will have to be passed by a two-thirds majority of Parliament, is the enabling bill that would enable the law-makers to grant the Lokpal constitutional status. If that is not passed, it will also mean the end of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas bill. Sheela Bhatt reports.
President Pratibha Patil, who is on a ten-day vacation in Hyderabad, is expected to meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders when she returns to New Delhi.
Criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party for opposing the constitutional status to the Lokpal, the ruling Congress party on Thursday accused the former of suffering from political amnesia, and said the Parliament has the right to make law of India.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday night his government plans to introduce Jan Lokpal bill in the assembly on Friday and renewed his threat of resigning if the proposed legislation was defeated by Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party.
As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal remains adamant on his stand of resigning if the Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed in the ongoing Assembly session, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday said that the ombudsman bill cannot be tabled as it has not been approved by him.
People must vote against the ruling alliance at Centre led by Congress if it failed to pass the Jan Lokpal bill in the ongoing winter session of Parliament, social activist and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi said at Ralegan Siddhi village where Anna Hazare is observing fast for passage of the bill.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Sunday made it clear that though Team Anna has a right to voice its differences on various aspects of Lokpal Bill, the final word lies with Parliament on passing laws.
Lashing out at Abhishek Singhvi on the draft Lokpal Bill, Team Anna on Wednesday accused the Congress leader of disrespecting Parliament by going against its commitment of including lower bureaucracy and Citizens' Charter in the ambit of the ombudsman.
If different versions of the bill are passed and one of the Houses refuses to accept the amendment by the other, the President can summon a joint session of the two houses which is presided over by Lok Sabha Speaker. The bill can be passed by simple majority.
The government is planning a special Parliament session in mid January next year for the Lokpal Bill as the Bharatiya Janata Party has a majority in the Rajya Sabha, sources told rediff.com.
Two key legislations Lokpal Bill and Food Security Bill -- are expected to be taken up by the Union Cabinet on Sunday after which they will be brought to Parliament next week.
It will be a touch-and-go affair in the Upper House, remarked a senior Congress leader underlining that there were many ifs and buts for the bill to be passed
The much-awaited report of the Parliamentary panel that examined the Lokpal Bill has left the final decision -- about the inclusion of the prime minister's post under the aegis of Lokpal --- to the House. The report, along with 16 dissenting notes, was submitted and tabled in Parliament on Friday.
As Anna Hazare threatened to campaign against Congress on the Lokpal issue, Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday said the government will bring the anti-corruption bill in Parliament's winter session.
Sheela Bhatt traces how Parliament's Standing Committee on the Lokpal Bill is giving final shape to its report, finds out what the key clauses could be and discovers the political difficulties in finalising a complex legal issue before the winter session ends.
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Wednesday asked as to what was stopping ruling Congress from declaring its resolve to create an effective Lokpal through a special session of Parliament or an ordinance in case Parliament by any chance is stalled.
With the Union Cabinet expected to take up the Lokpal Bill for consideration, the Congress on Sunday kept it fingers crossed on the passage of the legislation in Parliament.
Press Council Chief Justice Markandey Katju on Saturday urged Parliament to refer the Lokpal Bill to a Standing Committee for further consideration so that a workable corruption investigation machinery can be created. In its present state, the Bill can create a parallel bureaucracy that could turn into a "Frankenstein monster" and double or triple corruption, he said in a statement.
Nandan Nilekani, the chairperson of Unique Identification Authority of India and former Infosys CEO, has said that activist Anna Hazare's protest was unjustified when the Lokpal Bill was before Parliament for consideration.
Anna Hazare is likely to be present in the viewers' gallery of the Parliament when the Lokpal Bill would be tabled and discussed, sources close to him said in Mumbai on Friday.
The differences between the Congress and the BJP are too obvious and it seems, as expected, this Parliament is a divided house on the issue of fighting corruption.
The joint drafting committee on Lokpal bill on Saturday had its first meeting when civil society representatives presented a new draft of the legislation to the government with both sides expressing hope that the new law will be brought in the monsoon session of Parliament.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a draft of the Lokpal Bill, which will now be tabled in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.
Anna Hazare, fasting for the last five days for passage of Lokpal Bill, on Saturday said he was happy with the amended legislation presented in the Rajya Sabha and would call off his hunger strike the moment the law is enacted.
Anna Hazare has thanked Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for his "commitment" to the passage of the Lokpal Bill in Parliament, while demanding inclusion of recommendations of the select committee in the bill.
Within the Hazare group, serious differences have cropped up with Justice N Santosh Hegde and Swami Agnivesh wanting him to withdraw the fast, saying it was now counterproductive. But others like Bedi and Kejriwal, who are seen as hardliners with their own agenda, are said to be resisting the move and not allowing the 73-year-old social activist from Maharashtra to break the fast.
Amid Anna Hazare's agitation on the Lokpal issue, a Parliamentary Standing Committee going into the Lokpal Bill on Sunday gave signals that it could "surprise" all those skeptical or cynical about the outcome of the exercise.
Sharp differences came to the surface at a meeting of the drafting committee for Lokpal bill on Monday with the government strongly opposing proposals for inclusion of prime minister, higher judiciary and acts members of Parliament inside Parliament under its purview.
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