The draft Lokpal Bill to be tabled in Parliament on Friday has left the issue of inclusion of the Prime Minister (PM) to members of the two Houses.
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 report accessed by DC 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.
It also favoured independent functioning of CVC.
The report, of about 200 pages and accessed by this newspaper, has also left the judiciary out of the Lokpal’s purview. It has proposed and recommended a 'comprehensive judicial standard and accountability bill' which is already under consideration of the government.