Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was moved in the Supreme Court Monday seeking quashing of the notification by which a joint drafting committee on the Lokpal Bill was set up in the wake of the fast unto death by Gandhian Anna Hazare.

The petitioner said that the notification is both “unconstitutional and ultra vires of the rules of procedure for conducting parliament proceedings”.

The PIL said that “no politician or committee or social worker have right to take the right of general public to make a bill”. He said that the existing Lokpal Bill was pending before a parliamentary committee for its consideration.

The PIL seeking quashing of the notification was moved by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma.

The petitioner has sought the court’s direction to the government to publish the contents of the already pending Lokpal Bill after incorporating recommendations and suggestions by various commissions and committees.

Thereafter, the government should invite suggestions from the public for further improving it before it is taken up by the parliament for enactment of the law.

The petitioner has also sought a CBI probe into the “professional misconduct” of the father-son duo Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan for their role in setting up of the joint draft committee on the Lokpal Bill having five members of civil society and their involvement in an alleged land scam in Allahabad.

The petition has also sought prosecution of the Bhushans on the basis of the findings by the investigating agency.

Shanti Bhushan, the petitioner said, had claimed that he had the evidence of corruption against eight former Chief Justices of India (CJI). But he never initiated any action against them during his tenure as union law minister and “continues to misuse them for his vested interest”.