Ministers, MPs, bureaucrats to come under Lokpal purview

New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) Indian Ministers, MPs and
bureaucrats seem set to come under the purview of the proposed
Lokpal with government and civil society members of the
drafting committee expressing unanimity on their inclusion.
However, there is disagreement over bringing the Prime
Minister and the judiciary under its ambit.
The proposed anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal, will not
have to wait for the permission of the government to
investigate allegation of corruption against ministers, MPs
and bureaucrats.
During the third meeting of the Joint Drafting Committee
to prepare a stronger Lokpal bill here last week, the members
were unanimous that the ombudsman would not have to seek
permission to either investigate or initiate prosecution
against public servants.
The move to give powers to Lokpal to initiate
investigations on its own would require amendments in certain
existing laws. These may include the Prevention of Corruption
Act, CrPC and the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act - a
law which governs the functioning of the CBI.
While there were basic principles on having an effective
Lokpal among the members, there were certain areas which have
an impact on existing laws and constitutional provisions which
need more discussion, the meeting decided.
As of now, the sanction to prosecute a minister comes from
the Prime Minister. In case of an MP, the sanctioning
authority is the Lok Sabha Speaker or Chairman of the Rajya
Sabha.
However, inclusion of Prime Minister and judiciary under
the ambit of the Lokpal was a sticking point and the issue was
flagged for broader discussion at the next meeting scheduled
for May 23.
The meeting did not discuss the powers the proposed Lokpal
will have. The latest version of the Jan Lokpal Bill prepared
by the Anna Hazare-led group proposed power to tap phone calls
by the ombudsman and having institutions like the CBI and CVC
under its supervisory control.