Cabinet clears amendment to Lokpal bill
New Delhi: The government on Thursday amended the controversial Lokpal Bill by accepting 14 of the 16 recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha Select Committee.
The approval of the official amendments paves the way for consideration of the bill afresh by the Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session expected to begin towards the end of February.
After getting a nod from the Upper House, the bill with amendments will go back for fresh approval to Lok Sabha where it has already been passed.
Among the recommendations accepted by the government is the one about delinking Lokayukta from the Lokpal Bill, an issue which was one of the most controversial provisions with several parties contending that it amounts to the central government encroaching upon the rights of the states.
The select committee had recommended that the state governments will have to set up Lokayuktas within one year of enactment of Lokpal.
The bill will have the provision of appointment of CBI Director by a three-member collegium comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.
Explaining the provision on the appointment of CBI chief, Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy said the clause already existed in the Lokpal Bill passed by Lok Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha panel had recommended exclusion of bodies and institutions receiving donations from the public from the purview of Lokpal.
Since bodies receiving donations from the public were also covered in the original Lokpal Bill, the government has not accepted the recommendation.
But, at the same time, it was decided to exempt only bodies or authorities established under a central or state act providing for administration of public, religious or charitable trusts registered under the Societies Registration
Act.
The panel had recommended that seeking of comments from public servant during preliminary enquiry should not be mandatory. But the government felt that providing an opportunity to public servant and to the government at that stage would help clear doubts in several cases and would substantially reduce the number of cases going for regular investigation.
