Support Lok Pal Bill drafting committee

The Union governments agreement with civil society activists led by social reformer Anna Hazare — following a 97-hour fast-unto-death staged between April 5-9 by the latter in New Delhi — to constitute a committee with equal representation of government ministers and social activists (nominated by Hazare) to draft a new Lok Pal Bill, is a positive development in the national interest. The brief of the drafting committee is to draw up a new Bill which is a radical improvement upon the toothless Lok Pal Bill which the Congress-led UPA-II government drafted for the approval of Parliament.In this context, it is pertinent to note that a Bill to appoint an independent Lok Pal at the Centre was first introduced in Parliament 42 years ago in 1969. However with politicians cutting across all political parties and collusive bureaucrats having become accustomed to exercising jurisdiction over all crime investigation and prosecution authorities including the CBI, police, the offices of the attorney general and public prosecutors, the prospect of devolving substantial powers of prosecution upon an independent authority with power to bring ministers, politicians and bureaucrats to book for acts of commission and omission, was quite obviously anathema to members of Parliament. Its quite clear that 40 years on, and despite the massive CWG, 2G spectrum, Adarsh Housing Cooperative and thousand unnatural corruption shocks which are visited upon the hapless public by the neta-babu nexus on a daily basis, the countrys overweening politico-bureaucratic conspiracy is still unwilling to establish independent ombudsmen at the Centre and in the states. For the simple reason that it would mean the beginning of the end of their open, continuous and uninterrupted loot and plunder of the economy and public. Thats why this corrupt conspiracy has been raising all sorts of issues ranging from Hazares moral blackmail, constitutional illegality of the Lok Pal Bill drafting committee and the allegedly tainted character of some civil society activists on the drafting committee. But while by strict interpretation of law there may be some merit in the arguments advanced by government and establishment apologists, theres no gainsaying that extraor-dinary challenges necessitate extraordinary response. And the extraordinary challenge which if not confronted squarely could well spark an anarchic revolution within the republic, is the Godzilla of corruption which has grown so big, it threatens the countrys institutions of democratic governance. In the circumstances, although there may be some truth in the allegations made against legal luminaries Shanti and Prasanth Bhushan, nominated by Hazare to the drafting committee, its important to bear in mind that the Bhushan duo has been nominated as impassioned legal experts committed to this cause rather than pristine pure citizens. Hence the weight of public opinion should be behind them as they discharge their time-bound duty (the new Bill has to be ready by June 30) to draft an effective Lok Pal Bill which will be the first battle won in the imminent war against ubiquitous neta-babu corruption. Paramountcy of rule of law principle An affidavit filed in the Supreme…