Salient Features of Jan
Lokpal Bill
1. An institution called LOKPAL at
the centre and LOKAYUKTA in
each state will be set up
2. Like Supreme Court and
Election Commission, they will be
completely independent of the
governments. No minister or
bureaucrat will be able to
influence their investigations.
3. Cases against corrupt people
will not linger on for years
anymore: Investigations in any
case will have to be completed in
one year. Trial should be
completed in next one year so
that the corrupt politician, officer
or judge is sent to jail within two
years.
4. The loss that a corrupt person
caused to the government will be
recovered at the time of
conviction.
5. How will it help a common
citizen: If any work of any citizen
is not done in prescribed time in
any government office, Lokpal
will impose financial penalty on
guilty officers, which will be
given as compensation to the
complainant.
6. So, you could approach Lokpal
if your ration card or passport or
voter card is not being made or if
police is not registering your
case or any other work is not
being done in prescribed time.
Lokpal will have to get it done in
a month's time. You could also
report any case of corruption to
Lokpal like ration being siphoned
off, poor quality roads been
constructed or panchayat funds
being siphoned off. Lokpal will
have to complete its
investigations in a year, trial will
be over in next one year and the
guilty will go to jail within two
years.
7. But won't the government
appoint corrupt and weak
people as Lokpal members? That
won't be possible because its
members will be selected by
judges, citizens and
constitutional authorities and not
by politicians, through a
completely transparent and
participatory process.
8. What if some officer in Lokpal
becomes corrupt? The entire
functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta
will be completely transparent.
Any complaint against any officer
of Lokpal shall be investigated
and the officer dismissed within
two months.
9. What will happen to existing
anti-corruption agencies? CVC,
departmental vigilance and anti-
corruption branch of CBI will be
merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will
have complete powers and
machinery to independently
investigate and prosecute any
officer, judge or politician.
10. It will be the duty of the
Lokpal to provide protection to
those who are being victimized
for raising their voice against
corruption.