Lokpal bill: Necessary, but not sufficient
Arvind Kejriwal , Member, Lokpal Bill Drafting Panel
The Lokpal is a necessary but not a sufficient condition to fight corruption. Under the present anti-corruption systems in our country, there is not a single anti-corruption agency which is independent of the government control and, therefore, has the powers to independently investigate and prosecute the guilty. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has the powers, but not independent.
The Central Vigilance Commission ( CVC )) has independence, but no powers. In short, the government has ensured there are enough loopholes in the laws to keep these anticorruption agencies ineffective. The people will be shocked to learn that under the Prevention of Corruption Act, even if a person is convicted, there is no provision to recover the losses he/she caused to the government or the money the person made through corrupt means. With such a toothless anti-corruption system, no wonder corruption has become a zero-risk, high-profit business in our country.
All that the proposed Jan Lokpal Bill will do is to ensure the certainty and swiftness of punishment in corruption cases. Next time any individual indulges in corruption, he should know he will be investigated, prosecuted, punished and will lose his job. According to the proposed Jan Lokpal Bill, the investigations into the cases have to be completed in two years so that the guilty is punished in a time-bound manner.
An ordinary person always faces demands for bribe to get his works done. The Lokpal will ensure justice for him and punishment for those who harass him. The proposed Bill has also taken care to ensure the selection process of the Lokpal and its functioning remains totally transparent. Strong measures of accountability have also been incorporated in the proposed Bill to guarantee the Lokpal itself does not become corrupt or undemocratic.
In addition to the Lokpal Bill, many more institutional reforms like electoral reforms, judicial reforms and decentralisation of political powers are needed to make the fight against corruption more effective. The India Against Corruption Movement will take up these issues one by one.
(The author is among the leaders of the Jan Lokpal movement)