Lokpal Bill Panel should be More Broadbased

COMMUNICATION

India certainly needs a strong and effective Lokpal law. Recently a committee has been formed for drafting this Bill. Keeping in view the importance of this task it’ll be helpful if while retaining all the existing members of the committee it can be made more broadbased and representative by including several more members.

Several people’s movements and organisations all over the country have been fighting corruption at various levels. In the context of India particularly significant are those grassroots movements that have fought against corruption which threaten the life, livelihood and survival of weakest sections. The experience of these various people’s movements will be very useful for enacting a strong and effective Lokpal Bill. At present mainly members of only one people’s movement have been given representation in the committee. Clearly there is room for making the committee more broadbased and useful by including members of several other peoples’ movements as well.

On the government side, we’ve been hearing about the pioneering efforts of several senior officials and judges in curbing corruption. If at least some of them can be included in the Lokpal Bill committee, the committee will benefit from the valuable experience of their efforts. This can include officials and judges who made a valuable contribution but have now retired.

There are several independent scholars, researchers and journalists who have made a very important contribution to the study and understanding of corruption and anti-corruption efforts. Some of these scholars and researchers should also be included in this Lokpal law committee.

Thus the Lokpal Bill committee should be enlarged to include the most brilliant and experienced persons from all over the country. This broadbased committee can include approximately 25 persons. Such a broadbased, truly national-level committee will be able to make a much more valuable contribution to enacting a strong and effective Lokpal law compared to the present committee which appears to have been hurriedly constituted in response to a public agitation.

At the national level several Left groups have played an important role in highlighting and resisting high-level corruption. Providing them at least some representation in the Lokpal Bill committee will be useful.

Bharat Dogra

C-27 Raksha Kunj, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110063 Tel: 25255303