'Pass grievance redressal and whistleblower protection bills'

Activists and jurists have come together and written an open letter to the political parties in parliament Monday urging them to pass the Grievance Redressal bill and the Whistleblower Protection bill along with the Lokpal bill.

"We support the demand for a strong Lokpal law. However, it is extremely important to recognise that this is not enough. For the ordinary Indian citizen in many ways, the Grievance Redressal bill and the Whistleblower Protection bill are as important as the Lokpal. All three laws offer separate remedies and taken together constitute an accountability regime," said Justice P.B. Sawant, one of the signatories to the letter.

The Grievance Redressal bill has been cleared by the cabinet and is in parliament awaiting passage while the Whistleblower Protection bill was passed in the Lok Sabha two years ago and has been under consideration in the Rajya Sabha since then.

"We feel impelled to write this letter because we feel there is still enough time to salvage the situation and pass these accountability legislations," added Sawant.