My Review on The Jan Lokpal Bill, 2011

Hello Readers,

This is regarding The Jan Lokpal Bill, 2011 (Anna’s Version). I read the bill & almost understood it to good extent. Team Anna has drafted the bill excellently. It’s really a commendable job & it covers almost everything that has a scope of being affected by Corruption.

However, there are a few impractical points which I’m discussing here below. Please note that I did not have any pre-conceded thoughts to write against The Lokpal. These are my thoughts and may contradict with yours. I would still support for The Jan Lokpal Bill with solutions to these below discussions.

Team Anna wants PM ManMohan Singh in the lokpal committee.. I mean they want a corrupted person to be in the lokpal committee..? Why? Even if he is included in the bench, he will do what Sonia madam will ask him to do. There will be difference of opinion in every case they take up to solve. Sonia madam concedes him food, so he will surely act as per Sonia’s wish.

Team Anna wants to frame a committee which includes people who have clean track records. They have included the people who in past where the Judges or Advocates of High Court or Supreme Court. These people are usually living a high class life. They don’t even understand that the grassroots of corruption are we the People of India. They live a high standard of living, their life is like celebrities. How will they understand the problems of a man who has been a victim of corruption? I mean, leading a celebrity life has lot of difference as compared to a normal life.

“Whistle Blower” is a person who alarms about corruption. A person who wants to bring to the notice of lokpal authorities about any type of corruption he sees or is victimized. What about the security of life of such a person? If I want to register a complaint against some top authority, there is every chance that I will be physically stopped or may be even killed. Lokpal says that the Whistle Blower will be given appropriate security. There will be times when at least 1000s out of the 1.21 Billion of people will blow the whistle at single point of time. How will you give security to each & every person?

The Investigation Officer of Lokpal will have all the powers that are vested in a Police Officer & a Director of Enforcement under the Foreign Exchange Act & Prevention of Money Laundering Act. This is one of the strongest points of lokpal bill. But again, who will this Investigation Officer be? What is the guarantee that the person with some many powers will remain clean? What is the eligibility criterion for this post? Why it is not mentioned in the lokpal bill? Will this person have a fixed tenure of his duties? (Like 5 years or so)

There is another strong point in the bill. The proceedings of a case will be made public, but on the payment of copying cost. Why not use a free media like Youtube or facebook. Why not put it on TV like any other serials? Episode vise.

Appeals against the lokpal order will be preceded to the High Court. So we are back to the most corrupted place on the Earth! The entire meaning of the lokpal bill stands null.

The weakest point of lokpal: If any member or officer or staff of lokpal is found guilty or dishonest, he will be removed or dismissed or his rank will be lowered. Why should he not be punished as per the lokpal norms? Why are such norms missing from the lokpal? Lokpal bill says, if anyone is found guilty, the case proceeds will be forwarded to the High Court. This may again take years together to punish him.

If the corruption is committed by a Public Limited Company collectively, will the lokpal authority put each & every director of the company in jail? How will the company perform then? Will the million of investors lose their money?

There are many other things I would like to mention. I don’t think that I’m matured enough to talk on those. It might lead to worthless discussion due to lack of my knowledge.

The Govt’s format of Lokpal is worthless & useless. But even the Anna’s Lokpal is impractical to some extent. Anyways, the fight against corruption has started and there would surely be some good outcome to it.

I would also like to see Team Anna to ask our Education Minister to include lessons of RTI Act in schools at lower level & in Colleges at higher level. The future generation of India needs to learn their rights. I still remember studying Civics subject in my school. It was related to assembly and the parliament houses which are not so useful to me today.

I observed a few other things related to the Anna Episode. Everyone like always started supporting Anna or speaking against him on facebook and twitter. I have people on my friends list who don’t even know what Anna is fighting for. I was surprised when I saw some people saying that Anna is fighting to bring Inflation down. 1 guy said that Anna is fighting to bring Petrol Prices down! Now this really happens in India. People do not even know what Anna & others are fighting for.

We can control Corruption to a greater extent. Impart RTI education to the students and we will see a good India over a period of time. Do not dream of 100% corruption free India. It’s next to impossible. You can control corruption by following rules and regulations framed in our Constitution.

I know this blog will invite a lot of critics, but the truth still stands. We cannot eliminate corruption because we are the grassroots of it. Fasting would not be the solution. It’s not that India will be corrupt free after 12 days of Anna’s fast. Yes, Anna has sparked up the cause for the fight. Let’s fight to Control Corruption to see a better India.

Sorry for the typos ;-) Thanks for reading. Good Day.