Jan Lokpal Bill
Indian Anti-Corruption Movement
By Vijay Gupta-Kumar
September 2011
MD Publications
Distributed by Coronet Books Inc.
ISBN: 9788175333611
232 pages
$20.00 Paper original
Jan Lokpal Bill is prepared to establish a central government anti-corruption institution called Lokpal, supported by Lokayuka at the state level. As in the case of the Supreme Court and Cabinet Secretariat, the Lokpal will be supervised by the Cabinet Secretary and the Election Commission. As a result, it will be completely independent of the government and free from ministerial influence in its investigations. The members will be appointed by judges, India Administrative Service Officers with a clean record, private citizens and constitutional authorities through a transparent and participatory process.
A Section committee will invite short-listed candidates for interviews, video recoding of which will thereafter be made public. Every month on its website, the Lokayuka will publish a list of cases dealt with, brief details of each, their outcome and any action taken or proposed. It will also publish lists of all cases received by the Lokayukta during the previous month, cases dealt with and those which are pending. Investigations of each case must be completed in one year. Any resulting trials should be concluded in the following year, giving a total maximum process time of two year. The losses caused to the government by a corrupt individual will be recovered at the time of conviction.
The Government office work required by a citizen that is not completed within a prescribed time period will result in Lokpal imposing financial penalties on those responsible, which will then be given as compensation to the complainant. The complaints against any officer of Lokpal will be investigated and completed within a month and if found to be substantive, will result in the officer being dismissed within two months. The existing anti-corruption agencies will be merged into Lokpal which will have complete power and authority to independently investigate and prosecute any office, judge or politician.
Return to Coronet Books main page