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 Centre on Saturday invited applications for appointment to the post of chairperson and members of the anti-graft watchdog, Lokpal.
The Foundation for Democratic Reforms and Lok Satta, along with some organisations will arrange a round table conference in New Delhi on April 24. The conference is for a consensus on the creation of a powerful and independent Lok Pal at the national level and Lokayuktas in states.
A parliamentary committee has recommended delinking creation of Lokayuktas from the Lokpal Bill, a provision that was strongly opposed by cpolitical parties including those supporting the United Progressive Alliance.
The Centre has declined to divulge details of persons who have applied for the posts of chairperson and members of anti-corruption body Lokpal, saying these are "personal" in nature and cannot be disclosed.
The government will go ahead with the appointment of chairperson and members in Lokpal once search committee rules are amended, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.
He said though there was a "ray of hope", certain issues he had flagged remained unresolved.
Congress on Wednesday used the Gujarat high court order on Lokayukta to attack Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying the verdict was another judicial confirmation of his "hypocrisy" and the "double standards" of Bharatiya Janata Party.
Pushing for passage of the Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday rejected demands for bringing the Central Bureau of Investigation under the purview of the anti-graft ombudsman, warning that no entity should be created inconsistent with the country's Constitutional framework.
In its critique of the Bill, the NCPRI said the appropriateness of 'The Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011' could well be determined by asking questions like whether the Lokpal is adequately independent, whether it is empowered to detect and investigate and prosecute corruption cases.
The fresh plea has sought a direction to the Centre for appointment of the Lokpal.
The leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha will be included in a panel to select the chairperson and members of Lokpal under the amended law, governing the functioning of the anti-corruption body, approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
The much-awaited anti-corruption measure Lokpal was tonight one step short of becoming a law with the government sending the bill to President Pranab Mukherjee for his assent.
The Lokpal chairperson, all of its eight members and support staff are being allocated space in the hotel premises.
The Rajya Sabha Select Committee, chaired by Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi, will have its first meeting in New Delhi on Monday to narrow down differences among political parties on the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill.
It said no payment has so far been made towards rental charges for the Lokpal office at 'The Ashok' hotel.
The much-awaited Lokpal Bill is in for further delay with the term of a Parliamentary committee examining it being extended on Friday beyond September 3 to allow it to submit its report by the beginning of the Winter Session of Parliament.
In a bid to evolve a consensus over the controversial Lokpal Bill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday met leaders of various political parties with an assertion that his government was committed to an effective Lokpal legislation. In his initial remarks at the meeting, Dr Singh said, "Our government stands committed to an effective Lokpal legislation". Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, A K Antony and Salman Khurshid were among those present at the meeting.
"I have a given a notice for discussion on Lokpal in the Rajya Sabha. The Business Advisory Committee will decide on the date for discussion," Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions V Narayanasamy told PTI.
Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde on Thursday said he was reconsidering his decision to be on the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, apparently upset over the vilification campaign against the anti-graft panel.
The case of Gujaratis also the eye-opener for all Indians, who are agitating for the Lokpal bill.
After failed moves over 43 years, the Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a historic bill to create a nine-member anti-corruption watchdog Lokpal after a marathon debate but the government suffered a major embarrassment when the legislation to give it a constitutional status was defeated for want of the requisite two-thirds majority
A Parliamentary panel examining the Lokpal bill may recommend that the proposed anti-corruption watchdog be a single window stop for probing all corruption complaints against government functionaries by ending multiplicity of investigating agencies to investigate graft cases.
Kharge said that a special invitee invitation is a "concerted effort" to exclude the voice of the opposition in Lokpal selection.
"We propose to cover organisations like ISRO and arms deals under the purview of Jan Lokpal as they are important from internal security angle, besides the Prime Minister above all who will come under its jurisdiction," Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde, part of the 10-member Joint Drafting Committee on Lokpal Bill, told media persons in Bengaluru.
In an interview with Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, one of the members of the Joint Drafting Committee if the Lokpal Bill, sets the record straight on why the talks broke down.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee going into the Lokpal Bill has recommended keeping the judiciary and the MPs' conduct in the House out of its purview and rejected the demand for hiving off the anti-corruption wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation to come under its jurisdiction.
Government has so far not carried out a full assessment of the personnel that will be required to staff the proposed institution of Lokpal, a Parliamentary panel has been informed.
There is nothing wrong in bringing the prime minister under the jurisdiction of Lokpal as like others he is also a public servant, former Supreme Court Judge and erstwhile Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde said on Wednesday.
Taking the first step towards appointment of Lokpal, the government has decided to modify rules to give more powers to the search committee mandated to recommend names for appointment of chairperson and members of the anti-corruption body.
Bhikhabhai Jethwa, father of slain RTI activist Amit Jethwa, is filing a writ petition in the Gujarat high court on Thursday against the Narendra Modi government's failure to appoint a Lokayukta.
The Lokpal can't be appointed in the current scenario as amendments regarding the definition of the Leader of Opposition in the Lokpal Act was pending in Parliament, AG said.
If quota in Lokpal is taken off the Yadav leaders will object it, and if it remains, the BJP will oppose it. This situation is advantageous for the Congress to take credit and pass the blame, reports Sheela Bhatt.
The Lok Sabha is on Tuesday discussing on the much-talked-about Lokpal Bill.
The government has notified new Lokpal search committee rules, giving it more freedom to recommend names for chairperson and members of the anti-corruption body outside the list provided by the Department of Personnel and Training.
The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Centre on a petition filed by an NGO questioning the entire selection process for appointment of chairperson and members of the Lokpal and seeking its stay.
As Parliament takes up the debate on the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011, on Tuesday, the Congress party will try to ensure three things.
Lt Governor Najib Jung had sought Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran's as to whether the introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill in the assembly without sending the legislative proposal to the Central government is in consonance with the transaction of Business of the GNCT of Delhi Rules, 1993, and also as to whether the proposal involves any constitutional infraction.
Stepping up its attack on Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare-led civil society, Congress on Wednseday dubbed the yoga guru as a 'king of black money' and Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde as a 'Bharatiya Janata Party man'.
Justices Dilip B Bhosale, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Abhilasha Kumari and Ajay Kumar Tripathi have been appointed as judicial members in the anti-corruption ombudsman.
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