Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar, National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy and Loksatta president Jayaprakash Narayan will give their views on the Lokpal Bill 2011 Friday before the parliamentary standing committee on law and justice looking into the issue.

Sources said the panel will Sep 24 also hear the views of M.R. Madhavan of PRS Legislative Research, Amod Kanth, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Ashok Kumar Parija, chairman of the Bar Council of India, Amarjeet Singh Chandhiok, president of the Delhi High Court Bar Council, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president of the Centre for Policy Research, Harish N. Salve, senior Supreme Court advocate, and Udit Raj, president of the Indian Justice Party.

This is the first meeting of the reconstituted parliamentary standing committee, headed by Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Another Congress spokesperson, Manish Tewari, who had offered to leave the panel after being criticised for calling activist Anna Hazare corrupt “head to toe”, has been retained in the panel.

Two other members on the committee are Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, whose presence in the panel was opposed by Team Anna citing allegations of corruption against them.

The standing committee is expected to go through the various drafts of the Lokpal bill, including the Jan Lokpal Bill of Team Anna and one by Aruna Roy-led National Campaign for People’s Right to Information.

Sources said there are various drafts of the Lokpal bill before the committee, which is expected to submit its recommendations to parliament before the winter session, scheduled to begin mid-November.

The government has also forwarded the proceedings of the special session of parliament Aug 27 which passed a resolution on three key demands made by activist Anna Hazare. They were a citizen’s charter, bringing lower bureaucracy under Lokpal, and setting up Lokayuktas in states.