[HumJanenge] CHARGES AGAINST MEMBERS OF CIVIL SOCIETY WOULD NOT AFFECT LOK PAL BILL DRAFTING COMMITTEE

CHARGES AGAINST MEMBERS OF CIVIL SOCIETY WOULD NOT AFFECT LOK PAL BILL DRAFTING COMMITTEE   M K Gupta, Free Lancer   Senior Minister Pranab Mukherjee says that controversies on the members of drafting committee for Lokpal Bill would not affect the panel and the Congress Party has directed its members to take the official line only and not express personal views while interacting with the media.  Justice Santosh Hedge, Lok Ayukt of Karnatka has decided to continue as member of the Drafting Committee of Lok Pal Bill in the face of charges of by Digvijay Singh about his failure to curb corruption in Karnataka and raising question of the effectiveness of Lok Ayukt. In fact, such charges were proving counter-productive and raising the hackles in the public.  Now, Madhya Pradesh HC orders charge sheet against Diggy in the matter of allotting residential land for a Mall in an appropriate manner.   Swami Agnivesh says that Digvijay Singh is creating hurdles in the way of an effective Lokpal as he is afraid of it. In the meantime, Former Prime Minister H D Devegowda has appealed Justice Santosh Hegde to continue.  Digvijay Singh extends his support the demand of reservation of Dalit in the penal made by Mayawati, Chief Minister, U.P.    Timing of finding fault with the members of the Lokpal drafting Committee tells us all.  The charges raised against Bhushans were very old but they were never raised earlier.  This cast aspiration about the motive of these charges and the truth will come only after the inquiry and Court verdict before the Court.  Delhli Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin recently said that Lokayukta should be given powers of search and seizure and conduct probe against bureaucrats besides granting financial and administrative autonomy for its effective functioning.  This was in the backdrop of his recommendations to the President against Raj Kumar Chauhan, Urban Development Minister, Delhi Govt. His recommendations are pending for about a month. Like the Lok Ayukts in some states, Central Vigilance Commission has only recommendatory powers only.  Charges are often levelled against the CBI that in political senstive cases, it acts according to the direction of the winds. Giving more powers to the institution of Lokpal and Ayukt is therefore necessary due to their failures as rightly pointed out by Digvijay Singh. The solution does not lie in derailing the process of drafting of an appropriate Lokpal Bill but the Lok Ayukts should be given more powers.  Same is true about the proposed Lokpal Bill for the Centre that the proposed legislation should give appropriate powers so that this does not reamin a toothless tiger. ********