Participants at a consultation called here to discuss the proposed Lok Pal Bill felt the higher judiciary should be kept out of the scope of the to-be-drafted anti-corruption Bill.
The consultation was called by Lok Satta, the Andhra Pradesh political party which campaigns on reform, led by Jayaprakash Narayan, former member of the National Advisory Council. Called to give their views were senior lawyers, retired judges, retired election commissioners and some activists. A number of seniors in the anti-corruption campaign were present.
Maja Daruwala, director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, said the general feeling was that the judiciary should be excluded. For, it was going to have its own accountability Bill and it was not fair to pack too much burden on the proposed Lok Pal.
It was also suggested that electoral reforms were necessary for better governance. These steps should be taken rather than expecting the Lok Pal to perform wonders on its own, Daruwala said.
Among people from the legal profession who spoke were former Chief Justices M N Venkatachaliah and J S Verma, and lawyers Soli Sorabji, Fali Nariman, Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan. So did Santosh Hegde, the lok ayukta of Karnataka.
Hegde and the Bhushans are part of the 10-member panel (five Union ministers and five others) to draft the official Bill.
The discussions also looked at how agencies like the Central Bureau of Investgation and the Vigilance Commission could be integrated with the Lok Pal.
Lok Satta’s Narayan said the institution of a Lok Pal and amendments to anti-corruption laws were but not sufficient to tackle the deeply entrenched pandemic of corruption. Decentralisation of power and electoral reforms were essential. And, mechanisms to ensure jail and forfeiture of ill-gotten property would send the right message.
