Lokpal Bill: Spotlight now on Standing Committee

[It is not too clear, despite loud claims, whether the Parliament has indeed passed a Resolution (moved by the Finance Minister?).

In any case, at the end of the day, there was no withdrawal of the official Lokpal Bill from the Parliament. No tabling of the Jan Lokpal Bill. And the Standing Committee stands and it will deliberate and consider all the suggestions received by it. And the Jan Lokpal Bill, in toto or some amended version of it, is not going to be enacted by August 30 as demanded by Anna Hazare and his team.

Now all the suggestions including the JLP will be taken by the Standing Committee for deliberations to put together everything in the form of one bill.

Then the Cabinet (after being refined by the Law department, and could also go to other relevant ministries) approves it, places before the Parliament which could pass it, or could constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee to further refine it (which could also call for submissions/depositions including from the public) and again back to both the houses of the Parliament for its passage with or without amendment. 

Once passed and notified in the Gazette, a committee to make the rules has to be formed which then formulates the rules and the Cabinet approves these and then placed in the Parliament.

Then it gets implemented.

The State Lokayukta bits will, in all probability, further drag on.] 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Spotlight-now-on-standing-committee/articleshow/9762738.cms

Spotlight now on standing committee

TNN | Aug 28, 2011, 01.17AM IST

NEW DELHI: After the comprehensive resolution passed by Parliament on Saturday that unanimously agreed with activist Anna Hazare's demands, the action will now move to the standing committee for law and justice. It will hold its next meeting with the Aruna Roy-led National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) on September 7. 

Standing committee chairman Abhishek Singhvi said, "Now that we have the privilege of being entrusted with this important task by the nation, I have no doubt that my committee will rise to the occasion and try to do the most comprehensive job possible, in the shortest possible time. We will ensure the widest possible consultation, the most critical analysis and best practices most suited for India's genius to arrive at an appropriate set of recommendations.'' 

Singhvi, however, refused to confine himself to a timeframe, instead saying, "Timelines and deadlines cannot be stipulated without fettering the committee's discretion but we shall keep expedition uppermost in our minds.'' 

Other Lokpal drafts including the one suggested by Jaiprakash Narayan group and suggestions made by eminent people on the issue will be looked at by the committee that has already issued an advertisement asking for suggestions and opinions. 

Earlier in the day, leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee had said that the "sense of the House'' was that "this House agrees in principle on the following issues - citizen's charter, lower bureaucracy to be under Lokpal through an appropriate mechanism and establishment of Lokayuktas in the states. It further resolves to transmit the proceedings to the department-related standing committee for its perusal while formulating its recommendations for a Lokpal bill".

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