Team Anna flays Bihar govt's draft Lokayukta Bill

Activist Arvind Kejriwal said the team hoped that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had on June 30 promised Team Anna that he will enact a strong Lokayukta law, brings a strong Bill on the lines of the one passed by Uttarakhand assembly.

"Bihar government's proposed Lokayukta Bill is a copy of the much-criticised Centre's draft against which Anna sat on a fast," he said.

Another Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said the proposed Lokayukta Bill of Bihar was a "replica" of the Centre's Lokpal against which they had all agitated. "Jan Lokpal Bill is an absolute necessity for standardisation," he said.

Kejriwal said selection, suspension and removal of Lokayukta will be in government's control and therefore it will not be independent, as per the draft.

The draft also says the Lokayukta needs permission from government to investigate and prosecute any government officer and punishment to a complainant if he files a frivolous complaint and punishment for a corrupt officer is the same, six months to five years.

As per the draft, corrupt officers will also get free legal assistance provided by government against the complainant, he said.

"These are the same provisions that were there in central government's draft Lokpal Bill and Anna sat on a fast against these provisions. We sincerely wish that Nitish Kumar brings a strong Lokayukta Bill on the lines of Uttarakhand," he said.

Bihar cabinet had yesterday decided to seek public opinion on the proposal for effective and strong Lokayukta by November 22 and formed a committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi to finetune the draft of the Lokayukta Bill which is proposed to be tabled in the winter session of the state assembly in December.