LOKPALCOMPARISONCIVILSOCIETYSANDGOVTS

June22,2011,IndiaAgainstCorruption Governments law will have jurisdiction over 65,000 central government employees, 4.5 lakh registeredNGOs,lakhsofmovements(andunregisteredNGOs)andnocompanies. It applies to only Group A officers of central government, but does not apply to other central governmentemployees.Itdoesnotapplytoanystategovernmentemployee.However,itappliesto allstateandcentralNGOswhetherregisteredornot. Minimum punishment against a corrupt person is six months. Minimum punishment against false complainantistwoyears. Government will provide the lawyer and expenses to the corrupt officer to file a case against his complainant. Issue Ourview Governmentsview Comments PMkeptoutof Asoftoday,corruptionbyPMcan PrimeMinister Lokpalshouldhave Lokpalspurview. beinvestigatedunderPrevention powertoinvestigate ofCorruptionAct.Government allegationsofcorruption wantsinvestigationstobedone againstPM.Special byCBI,whichcomesdirectly safeguardsprovided againstfrivolousand underhim,ratherthan mischievouscomplaints independentLokpal Judiciarykeptoutof Governmentwantsthistobe Juduciary Lokpalshouldhave Lokpalpurview. includedinJudicialAccountability powerstoinvestigate Bill(JAB).UnderJAB,permission allegationofcorruption toenquireagainstajudgewillbe againstjudiciary.Special givenbyathreemember safeguardsprovided againstfrivolousand committee(twojudgesfromthe mischievouscomplaints samecourtandretdChiefjustice ofthesamecourt).Thereare manysuchflawsinJAB.Wehave noobjectionstojudiciarybeing includedinJABifastrongand effectiveJABwereconsideredand itwereenactedsimultaneously. Takingbribetovoteorspeakin MPs Lokpalshouldbeableto Governmenthas excludedthisfrom Parliamentstrikesatthe investigateallegations Lokpalspurview. foundationsofourdemocracy. thatanyMPhadtaken Governmentsrefusaltobringit bribetovoteorspeakin underLokpalscrutinyvirtually Parliament. givesalicensetoMPstotake bribeswithimpunity. Nopenaltiesproposed. Governmenthadagreedtoour Grievance Violationofcitizens demandintheJointcommittee redressal charter(ifanofficerdoes So,thiswillremain notdoacitizensworkin onlyonpaper. meetingon23rdMay.Itis prescribedtime)byan unfortunatetheyhavegoneback officershouldbe onthisdecision. penalizedandshouldbe deemedtobecorruption.

Issue CBI

Comments CBIismisusedbygovernments. Recently,govthastakenCBIout ofRTI,thusfurtherincreasingthe scopeforcorruptioninCBI.CBI willremaincorrupttillitremains undergovernmentscontrol 1.Broadbasedselection 1.Withfiveoutoften Governmentsproposalensures Selectionof membersfromruling committeewith2 Lokpal thatthegovernmentwillbeable establishmentandsix toappointitsownpeopleas politicians,fourjudges members andtwoindependent politiciansinselection LokpalmembersandChairperson. constitutionalauthorities. committee, Interestingly,theyhadagreedto 2.Anindependentsearch governmenthas theselectioncommitteeproposed committeeconsistingof byusinthemeetingheldon7th ensuredthatonly retdconstitutional weak,dishonestand May.Therewasalsoabroad authoritiestoprepare pliablepeoplewould consensusonselectionprocess. firstlist. beselected. However,therewasa 3.Adetailedtransparent 2.Searchcommitteeto disagreementoncompositionof andparticipatory beselectedby searchcommittee.Weare selectionprocess. selectioncommittee, surprisedthattheyhavegone thusmakingthema backonthedecision. pawnofselection committee 3.Noselectionprocess provided.Itwill completelydependon selectioncommittee Withselectionandremovalof TotheGovernment. WhowillLokpal Tothepeople.Acitizen Lokpalingovernmentscontrol,it beaccountable canmakeacomplaintto Onlygovernmentcan SupremeCourtandseek seekremovalofLokpal wouldvirtuallybeapuppetin to? governmentshands,against removal. whoseseniormostfunctionariesit issupposedtoinvestigate,thus causingseriousconflictof interest. Governmentsproposalcreatesa Integrityof ComplaintagainstLokpal Lokpalitselfwill investigatecomplaints Lokpal,whichisaccountable Lokpalstaff staffwillbeheardbyan eithertoitselfortothe againstitsownstaff, independentauthority government.Wehavesuggested thuscreatingserious givingthesecontrolsinthehands conflictsofinterest ofthecitizens.

Ourview Governmentsview Anticorruptionbranchof Governmentwantsto retainitsholdoverCBI. CBIshouldbemerged intoLokpal.

Issue Methodof enquiry

Ourview Methodwouldbethe sameasprovidedinCrPC likeinanyothercriminal case.Afterpreliminary enquiry,anFIRwillbe registered.After investigations,casewill bepresentedbeforea court,wherethetrialwill takeplace

Lower bureaucracy

Allthosedefinedas publicservantsin PreventionofCorruption Actwouldbecovered. Thisincludeslower bureaucracy.

Governmentsview CrPCbeingamended. Specialprotection beingprovidedtothe accused.After preliminaryenquiry,all evidencewillbe providedtothe accusedandheshall beheardastowhyan FIRshouldnotberegd againsthim.After completionof investigations,againall evidencewillbe providedtohimandhe willbegivenahearing toexplainwhyacase shouldnotbefiled againsthiminthe court.During investigations,if investigationsaretobe startedagainstany newpersons,they wouldalsobe presentedwithall evidenceagainstthem andheard. OnlyGroupAofficers willbecovered.

Comments Investigationprocessprovidedby thegovernmentwouldseverely compromiseallinvestigations.If evidenceweremadeavailableto theaccusedatvariousstagesof investigations,inadditionto compromisingtheinvestigations, itwouldalsorevealtheidentityof whistleblowersthus compromisingtheirsecurity.Such aprocessisunheardofincriminal jurisprudenceanywhereinthe world.Suchprocesswouldkill almosteverycase.

Lokayukta

Thesamebillshould provideforLokpalat centreandLokayuktasin states

OnlyLokpalatthe centrewouldbe createdthroughthis Bill.

Onefailstounderstand governmentsstiffresistance againstbringinglower bureaucracyunderLokpals ambit.Thisappearstobean excusetoretaincontroloverCBI becauseifallpublicservantsare broughtunderLokpals jurisdiction,governmentwould havenoexcusetokeepCBI. AccordingtoMrPranab Mukherjee,someoftheCMshave objectedtoprovidingLokayuktas throughthesameBill.Hewas remindedthatstateInformation Commissionswerealsosetup underRTIActthroughoneAct only.

Issue Whistleblower protection

Ourview Lokpalwillberequiredto provideprotectionto whistleblowers, witnessesandvictimsof corruption

Special benchesinHC

CrPC

Dismissalof corrupt government servant

HighCourtswillsetup specialbenchestohear appealsincorruption casestofasttrackthem Onthebasisofpast experienceonwhyanti corruptioncasestakea longtimeincourtsand whydoouragencieslose them,someamendments toCrPChavebeen suggestedtoprevent frequentstayorders. Aftercompletionof investigations,inaddition tofilingacaseinacourt forprosecution,abench ofLokpalwillholdopen hearingsanddecide whethertoremovethe governmentservantfrom job.

Governmentsview Comments Nomentioninthislaw. Accordingtogovt,protectionfor whistleblowersisbeingprovided throughaseparatelaw.Butthat lawissobadthatithasbeen badlytrashedbystanding committeeofParliamentlast month.Thecommitteewas headedbyMsJayanthiNatrajan. IntheJtcommitteemeetingheld on23rdMay,itwasagreedthat Lokpalwouldbegiventhedutyof providingprotectionto whistleblowersundertheother lawandthatlawwouldalsobe discussedandimprovedinjoint committeeonly.However,itdid nothappen. Nosuchprovision. Onestudyshowsthatittakes25 yearsatappellatestagein corruptioncases.Thisoughttobe addressed. Notincluded

Theministerwill decidewhetherto removeacorrupt officerornot.Often, theyarebeneficiaries ofcorruption, especiallywhensenior officerareinvolved. Experienceshowsthat ratherthanremoving corruptpeople, ministershave rewardedthem.

Powerofremovingcorrupt peoplefromjobsshouldbegiven toindependentLokpalratherthan thisbeingdecidedbytheminister inthesamedepartment.

Issue Ourview Punishmentfor 1.Maximumpunishment corruption istenyears 2.Higherpunishmentif rankofaccusedishigher 3.Higherfinesifaccused arebusinessentities 4.Ifsuccessfully convicted,abusiness entityshouldbe blacklistedfromfuture contracts. Financial Lokpal11members independence collectivelywilldecide howmuchbudgetdo theyneed Preventfurther Lokpalwillhaveadutyto loss takestepstoprevent corruptioninanyongoing activity,ifbroughttohis notice.Ifneedbe,Lokpal willobtainordersfrom HighCourt. Tapphones Lokpalbenchwillgrant permissiontodoso

Governmentsview Noneofthese accepted.Only maximumpunishment raisedto10years.

Comments

Thisseriouslycompromiseswith Financeministrywill decidethequantumof thefinancialindependenceof Lokpal budget Nosuchdutiesand powersofLokpal 2Gisbelievedtohavecometo knowledgewhiletheprocesswas goingon.Shouldntsomeagency haveadutytotakestepstostop furthercorruptionratherthanjust punishpeoplelater? HomeSecretaryisunderthe controlofpreciselythosewho wouldbeunderscanner.Itwould killinvestigations. ThisisasurewaytokillLokpal. Thememberswillnotbeableto handleallcases.Withinnotime, theywouldbeoverwhelmed.

HomeSecretarywould grantpermission.

Delegationof powers

Lokpalmemberswillonly hearcasesagainstsenior officersandpoliticiansor casesinvolvinghuge amounts.Restofthe workwillbedoneby officersworkingunder Lokpal NGOs Onlygovernmentfunded NGOscovered False,Frivolous Noimprisonment.Only andvexatious finesoncomplainants. complaints Lokpalwoulddecide whetheracomplaintis frivolousorvexatiousor false.

Allworkwillbedone by11membersof Lokpal.Practicallyno delegation.

AllNGOs,bigorsmall, arecovered. Twotofiveyearsof imprisonmentand fine.Theaccusedcan filecomplaintagainst complainantinacourt. Interestingly, prosecutorandall expensesofthiscase willbeprovidedbythe governmenttothe accused.The complainantwillalso havetopay compensationtothe accused.

AmethodtoarmtwistNGOs Thiswillgiveahandletoevery accusedtobrowbeat complainants.Oftencorrupt peoplearerich.Theywillfile casesagainstcomplainantsand noonewilldarefileany complaint.Interestingly, minimumpunishmentfor corruptionissixmonthsbutfor filingfalsecomplaintistwoyears.