As per provisions of the bill, Lokpal will have powers to even probe acts of corruption against Union ministers and Central government officials working in the NCT of Delhi, which may trigger another round of confrontation between the Kejriwal government and the Centre.
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Over nine months after Aam Aadmi Party’s resounding victory in the Delhi elections, the Delhi Assembly today passed its flagship anti-corruption law, the Jan Lokpal Bill.
The Delhi Assembly yesterday passed the anti-corruption legislation Jan Lokpal Bill.
Dismissing the Opposition’s criticism that the tabled version of the Bill is the “diluted” version, Mr Kejriwal asserted that it is a strict Bill and smirked that they (BJP and Congress) should first pass this version, which is better than having nothing in place. After meeting Hazare in his village Ralegan Siddhi, Bhushan tweeted that Anna wants the original lokpal bill of 2014 and not the bill prepared by Arvind Kejriwal’s government.
Kejriwal announced that the government has incorporated the two key suggestions made by his mentor and activist Anna Hazare. Bhushan was a part of the India Against Corruption forum of the 2011 anti-corruption Janklokpal movement led by Hazare.
AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, who have been associated with the Janlokpal movement since its beginning and party’s Delhi unit convenor Dilip Pandey, along with party volunteers were present in the House when the Bill was passed.
The passage of the Bill was, however, criticised by AAP’s former colleague and expelled leader Prashant Bhushan.
The 2014 Bill and the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill were strong Bills, he said.
The new members will include another judge from Delhi HC, any eminent personality selected from the rest of the committee members and the Lokpal chairman from the next term. Just before the vote, when Pushkar rose to move a motion that the draft be referred to a select committee for review, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel didn’t allow him to speak.
“There is also no transparency in the process to remove them. Our belief is if Lokpal law has to be legislated then it should be strong”, Hazare said.
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Sisodia said BJP seemed unaware of the constitutional arrangement that impeachment can be done only by the Assembly, not the government. Sisodia added the probe and prosecution will usually be finished within six months, and 12 months in rare cases.
