In a bid to crack the political freeze over the appointment of Lokpal, the government on Thursday tabled in the Lok Sabha an amendment in the 2013 statute making room for Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge to join as member of the high-powered panel empowered to select the top anti-corruption ombudsman.
In the existing Act, Section 4 makes only the Leader of Opposition eligible to be a member of the selection committee headed by the Prime Minister. The amendment allows the Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in the Lok Sabha to be member in case there is no “recognised” Leader of Opposition (LoP).
This amendment brings the Lokpal Act in line with the Central Vigilance Act, 2003 and Right to Information Act, 2005
Further, the Amendment Bill provides that no appointment in the search committee or the proceedings of the panel would be made invalid “merely by reason of any vacancy or absence of a member” of the panel.
The selection committee also has the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the apex court nominated by him and an eminent jurist, who could be nominated by the President or any other member, besides the opposition leader.
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh introduced The Lokpal and Lokayuktas and Other Related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had earlier rejected Congress demands for LoP status to its leader. Congress with 44 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha has emerged as the second largest party after BJP's 282 but fell short of 10 per cent of the strength of House, a requirement to get LoP status.
This Amendment Bill also provides for qualifications for appointment of Director of Prosecution in the CBI and for its functional independence. The Director of Prosecution is appointed under the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, which governs working of the CBI.
