Question

Discuss the role of the lokpal to curb corruption in the administrative setup in india

Answer 1

He cites his March 10, 2011 letter to the Prime Minister in which he had reiterated this demand and had also made known his intention to go on a fast if the government did not act:

I am continuing with my decision to start my indefinite fast from 5th April, unless the Government demonstrates its genuine intentions to act against corruption by implementing the above steps.

What is this Jan Lokpal Bill? Who or what is a Lokpal? What is the controversy over the Lokpal Bill? Lokpal, or an ombudsman, essentially means a "representative". The basic idea of the Lok Pal is borrowed from the office of ombudsman, which h

As many as 18 states have Lokayukta Acts -- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttara Khand, Uttar Pradesh

However, activists point out that these are quite ineffective as seen recently in the case of Karnataka and want the proposed Jan Lokpal Bill to be introduced in the states as well.

Others point out that countries which have the office of an Ombudsman such as Austria, Burkina Faso, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have benefitted from it.Why could the Lokpal bills not be passed in Parliament?

In short, because the politicians do not want an independent check over them.

There have been a lot of discussions and objections on whether or not the office of the Prime Minister, ministers, members of Parliament and judges should be accountable to the Lokpal.

There are those who claim that the Lokpal would essentially mean the constitutional scheme would be violated, while others point out that that the ARCs and CRC have suggested ways in which the office of the Lokpal could easily be accomodated within the existening constitutional structure.

Are our present anti-corruption measures really so deficient that we need a separate Lokpal?

The real problem is in independence and autonomy.

At the central level, the anti-corruption mechanisms include the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Departmental vigilance and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

CVC and Departmental Cigilance deal with vigilance (disciplinary proceedings) aspect of a corruption case and CBI deals with criminal aspect of that case.

But CVC is merely an advisory body and its advice to inititate prosecution is rarely, if ever, accepted.

As the recent controversy over the appointment of Mr PV Thomas as CVC demonstrated, despite the SC's intervention, the process remains far from transparent or unbiased.

Besides, the CVC cannot direct CBI to initiate enquiries against any officer of the level of JointSecretary and above on its own.

The CBI of course is reduced to be a handmaiden of the government in power. [Read on here] Doesn't the UPA have its own version of the Lokpal Bill? What is the problem with that? Why aren't the activists happy with it? Even Mrs Sonia Gandhi's pet outfit, the National Advisory Council (NAC), is reported to have rejected the government's draft Lokpal Bill. Hear it from the activists of India Against Corruption:

The latest draft of Lokpal Bill prepared by the present UPA government is a complete eyewash. Rather than strengthen anti-corruption systems, it demolishes whatever exists in the name of anti-corruption systems today. It seeks to completely insulate politicians from any kind of action against them.

See their critique of the government's Lokpal Bill 2010 here

So do the activists of India Against Corruption have an alternative to suggest?

Yes, the Jan Lokpal Bill. Exactly what Mr Anna Hazare is focussing on via his fast.

Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge and present Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal (RTI activist) have together drafted a strong anti-corruption Bill called Jan Lokpal Bill [Now: Version 2.1] which suggests, inter alia, that investigations into any case

The Lokpal envisaged by this bill is not merely an advisory body that would need permission from anyone to initiate investigation into any case. It will have powers to initiate investigations suo moto in any case and also to directly entertain complaints from the public.