Lokpal bill to be tabled December 27, session extended

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Parliament's Winter Session has been extended by three days from December 27 to facilitate the passage of the Lokpal Bill and some other key legislations. The draft note on the bill has been cleared by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and will be taken up by the Cabinet on Tuesday evening - sometime around 7:30p.m.

"The Winter Session of Parliament has been extended by three days from December 27," a senior minister said here.

As per the new schedule, both houses of parliament will adjourn for Christmas holidays December 22 and re-convene on December 27.

The Lokpal Bill, Judicial Accountability Bill and Whistleblowers' Bill will be taken up for consideration and passing during the extended Winter Session, he said.

The Lokpal bill is scheduled to be come up for approval in the cabinet meeting to be held at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday. It will be tabled alongwith the whistleblowers' bill, Labour Minister Harish Rawat said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had sounded BJP Parliamentary Party leader L.K. Advani on the move.

The Opposition parties had sought discussion on the three key legislations that are part of the government's strategy to tackle corruption.

Among the major amendments in the Lokpal Bill are bringing the Prime Minister under the purview of Lokpal with certain conditions, providing supervisory powers to Lokpal over CBI in corruption cases referred by it and changing the selection process of CBI chief.

A separate mechanism for dealing with corruption in Group C and D is also being evolved. The government has been racing against time to firm up the anti-graft Bill in view of the looming threat of Anna Hazare to go on hunger strike from December 27 if Parliament fails to pass a strong Lokpal Bill.