Parliamentary panel agrees on appointment procedure of CBI head
Despite sharp divisions in the Parliamentary committee scrutinising Lokpal Bill on several other issues, there was a broad agreement in it on inclusion of group C officials under the ambit of the anti-corruption ombudsman and making the selection process of the CBI Director independent of government influence.
It is understood that the committee members agreed to make the appointment process of the CBI Director independent of government's influence and a new selection committee was suggested to select select the CBI chief.
The proposed committee would consist of the Prime Minister, the Chairman of Lokpal and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Under the present system, recommendations for appointments are made by a CBI selection board headed by the Central Vigilance Commissioner. The Home Secretary, Secretary (Public Grievances), Cabinet Secretariat are the members.
The final selection is made by the Appointment Committee of the cabinet from the panel recommended by the CBI selection Board.
It was also decided to include group C officials under the ambit of Lokpal. While the government version says only group A officials be included, the draft report of the committee circulated to the members recently recommended inclusion of group B members also.
Team Anna had insisted that the entire bureaucracy be included in Lokpal.
The Committee decided against the inclusion of Group D officials under the watchdog's purview.
Today, members are learnt to be in agreement that group C officials, who consist of section officers in administration and inspector-level officials in the police hierarchy, be also included as they "fleece" the most from the common man. The final report of the committee is likely to recommend these two changes.
