Lokpal Bill to be tabled in Parliament on Friday
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The nation will watching as the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill goes to Parliament today.
The Bill will be tabled by the Standing Committee on the Bill, headed by Panel chairman and Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi.
On Wednesday, the committee finalised its draft amidst growing dissent from members, including three Congress MPs.
The three congress members who dissented, asking for inclusion of group C employees under the Lokpal are Deepa Dasmunshi, P.T. Thomas and Meenakshi Natarajan.
Singhvi said the issue of bringing the prime minister under the Lokpal has been left to parliament. He also said the many dissenting notes given by members on various issues would be reflected in the report.
Deccan Chronicle had access to the draft and can report that the conduct of members in Parliament has also been kept out. The drafting committee said, “There was complete unanimity among political parties that we should not tamper with constitutional provisions [safeguarding MPs].”
The parliamentary panel has virtually rejected the Team Anna demand for inclusion of CBI. The 200-odd-page draft says, “Lokpal will have no power to seek explanation from CBI and cannot monitor an ongoing investigation by it.”
Team Anna has been demanding inclusion of the entire bureaucracy in Jan Lokpal Bill, but the standing committee only included group-A and -B government servants (class-I and -II officers) and left out groups C and D (class-III and IV).
The panel has, however, provided enabling powers to the states 'to include more and lower levels [of bureaucracy], if they so desire,' under Lokayuktas.
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