Govt drafts honest note on Lokpal
After hectic deliberations in the highest quarters through the day, the government by late Sunday evening had put together the draft Cabinet note on the contentious Lokpal Bill. Government sources said the draft note tries to address virtually all key issues on which there has been a difference of opinion between the government and Team Anna.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed the proposed draft note at a late-night meeting with ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P. Chidambaram, Salman Khurshid, Kapil Sibal and V. Narayansamy. Sources said the various issues related to the draft note were discussed at the meeting and some more “fine-tuning” might be done before it is placed before the Cabinet on Monday. Mr Mukherjee also briefed the Cabinet on the key issues being included in the Cabinet note.
On the issue of bringing the Prime Minister under the ambit of the Lokpal, the draft note states that the PM indeed should be brought under the ambit of the anti-corruption body but with some safeguards, particularly related to national security. Then at least three-fourth members of the nine-member Lokpal have to consent to initiate a preliminary enquiry (PE) against the PM. The complaint against the PM should have the backing of as many as 100 MPs. The PE against the PM will be an in-camera proceeding and thus will not be open to media coverage. Even the questioning of the PM, if at all, will be done strictly off camera by the investigating agency.
On bringing the CBI under the Lokpal, the government has finally agreed that investigations of all corruption cases referred to the CBI by the Lokpal can be supervised and monitored by the Lokpal directly. This, sources sa-id, is a major concession by the UPA government as Team Anna has been strongly advocating that the Lokpal should have an independent and separate investigative wing. With this move the CBI will become the investigative arm of the Lokpal on all corruption cases referred by it.
“Team Anna wanted that Lokpal should have the authority to monitor the probe of all its complaints and with this proposal the Government is agreeing to their demand. Surely Team Anna doesn’t want to interfere in other terror or criminal cases that the CBI is handling,” a senior government official said.
The government has also agreed to forming a committee comprising the PM, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Lokpal and the CBI director to select the CBI’s director, prosecution. The Directo-rate of Prosecution will report to the Lokpal on all corruption-related cases referred to it by the Lokpal.
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