New Delhi: As Parliament prepares to debate the Lokpal Bill, ten big questions emerge. The very first - Should the CBI be kept under the Lokpal control? Or should it report to the government?
The Bill in its present form keeps the CBI out of the Lokpal’s ambit. The investigative agency will report to the Lokpal only on probes ordered by the latter. The administrative control of the CBI, meanwhile, will remain with the government.
A panel consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the CJI will choose the CBI director. This brings us to question - Should CBI director’s appointment be limited to the PM, the CJI and opposition leader?
Should the Lokpal’s appointment be limited to just the PM, the LS speaker, and the opposition leader?
According to the current Lokpal Bill, the Citizens Ombudsman office will be a 9-member constitutional body.
Either an ex-CJI or a retired SC judge or an eminent person will be appointed the Lokpal.
A panel consisting of the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of India and an eminent jurist will choose the Lokpal and its members.
Should minorities be given reservation when choosing the Lokpal?
The current Bill provides for up to 50 per cent reservation in the Lokpal bench for SC/STs, OBCs and women.
Parties such as the RJD, BSP and SP have sought reservation for minorities.
At an all-party meeting convened last week, it was agreed to provide reservation for minorities. However, in a last-minute change, the government dropped the term ‘minorities’ from the draft Lokpal Bill, leading to an uproar in Parliament.
Should graft against the lower bureaucracy be directly probed by the Lokpal?
Should the Lokpal only have oversight powers while probing lower bureaucracy?
Currently, the bureaucracy has been placed under the CVC. The Lokpal merely has appellate powers.
Should the Lokpal have its own investigative wing that allows it to probe cases suo moto?
Should a citizen redressal mechanism be made part of the Lokpal or be kept separate?
The Bill in its current form provides for the Lokpal to function as the final appellate authority for grievances relating to delivery of public services.
Should there be no safeguards for PM when probed by the Lokpal?
The Bill in its present form keeps the prime minister’s decisions on matters related to national security, international relations, maintenance of public order, atomic energy and space out of the Lokpal’s ambit.
The last but not the least - Is impeachment of a Lokpal through 100 MPs the only way to hold it accountable?
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