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INDIA FIRST
Online News Magazine
India is a country where honesty and integrity in public and private life have been glorified and upheld in great epics such as the Vedas, Upanishads and in the books and practices of every religion practiced here. Yet, India today is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Bringing public servants under a scanner which makes them strictly accountable is the start of a movement against corruption in India. And one significant step in attacking the spectre of corruption in India will be the implementation of the lok pal bill. The Indian Lokpal is synonymous to the institution of Ombudsman existing in the Scandinavian countries. The office of the ombudsman originated in Sweden in 1809 A.D., and adopted eventually by many nations 'as a bulwark of democratic government against the tyranny of officialdom'. Ombudsman is a Swedish word that stands for "an officer appointed by the legislature to handle complaints against administrative and judicial action. Traditionally the ombudsman is appointed based on unanimity among all political parties supporting the proposal. The incumbent, though appointed by the legislature, is an independent functionary independent of all the three organs of the state, but reports to the legislature. The Ombudsman can act both on The basis of complaints made by citizens, or suo moto. She/he can look into allegations of corruption as well as mal-administration.1 The functionary is called by different names in different countries; its power and functions also vary. In the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway) he is called the 'Ombudsman'. He can take cognizance of the citizens' grievance by either directly receiving complaints from the public or suo moto on the basis of information provided by the interested persons, or from newspapers, etc. However, in the U.K. the functionary - known as the Parliamentary Commissioner - can receive complains only through members of parliament. The ombudsmen can investigate a complaint by themselves or through any public or private agency. After investigation, in Sweden and Finland, the Ombudsman has the power to prosecute erring public servants; whereas in Denmark, he can only order prosecution. However, the power of prosecution is very rarely used.
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HISTORY
The misdeeds committed during the Emergency remind us of the necessity of including the PM within the purview of the Lokpal. The basic idea of the Lok Pal is borrowed from the office of ombudsman, which has played an effective role in checking corruption and wrong-doing in Scandinavian and other nations.3 In early 1960s, mounting corruption in public administration set the winds blowing in favour of an Ombudsman in India too. The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) set up in 1966 recommended the constitution of a two-tier machinery - of a Lokpal at the Centre, and Lokayukt(a)s in the states.4 The ARC while recommending the constitution of Lokpal was convinced that such an institution was justified not only for removing the sense of injustice from the minds of adversely affected citizens but also necessary to instill public confidence in the efficiency of administrative machinery. Following this, the Lokpal Bill was for the first time presented during the fourth Lok Sabha in 1968, and was passed there in 1969. However, while it was pending in the Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha was dissolved, resulting the first death of the bill. The bill was revived in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and most recently in 2008. Each time, after the bill was introduced to the house, it was referred to some committee for improvements - a joint committee of parliament, or a departmental standing committee of the Home Ministry - and before the government could take a final stand on the issue the house was dissolved. There are as many as 17 states where the institution of Lokayukta has been constituted, beginning with Orissa in 1971. However the power, function and jurisdiction of Lokayuktas are not uniform in the country.
Renewed calls for a Jan Lokpal Bill arose over resentment of the major differences between the draft 2010 Lokpal Bill prepared by the government and the Jan Lokpal Bill prepared by the members of this movement, N. Santosh Hegde, a former justice of the Supreme Court of India and Lokayukta of Karnataka, Prashant Bhushan, a senior lawyer in the Supreme Court along with the members of the India Against Corruption movement. This movement has also been joined by many people providing their support in Internet social media such as Twitter and Facebook. In addition to spiritual leaders Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Swami Ramdev, Swami Agnivesh and former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev,many celebrities showed their public support through micro-blogging site Twitter which has received significant public support. The bill's backers consider existing laws too weak and insufficiently enforced to stop corruption COPYRIGHT 2011 All rights reserved
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He will go on a fast unto death, Anna Hazare has declared! Let us say with our every breath, The corrupt will not be spared!! We demand the Jan Lokpal Bill, Will not settle for anything less! Let them not test our will, It is time our problems they redress!! COPYRIGHT 2011 All rights reserved
All of us have come together, And protesting on every hour in unity! Sacrificing our meals for the future, We demand retribution for the guilty!! It is the Raj Ghat in Delhi, And the Freedom Park in Bangalore! Join the fast venue in your city, To show you care, and will not ignore!!
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Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev to the Union government to arm the Jan Lokpal Bill with punitive powers. He said it would become another toothless agency like Lokayukta in the absence of such powers. Speaking at a 'Meet the Press' programme organised by Bangalore Press Club and Bangalore Reporter's Guild, Ramdev said the proposed Jan Lokpal Bill should not follow Lokayukta Act, which, according to him, is a toothless organisation. Since the Lokpal Bill was the first and a big step in curbing corruption, the government should arm it with sufficient powers, he demanded. The Lokpal should enjoy autonomous status like Supreme Court and there should not be any restrictions on common people to file FIR against the corrupt. This apart, the Lokpal should also have the power to recover money swindled by the corrupt and punish them with life imprisonment or death sentence, Ramdev said. He said even the prime minister should be brought under the purview of Lokpal. "I want the committee to draft the Lokpal Bill, and they should fight for powers to the Lokpal," Ramdev said COPYRIGHT 2011 All rights reserved
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