CM assures AAP to hold Lokayukta bill & present new version by March
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 10 February 2013 13:54 IST
Adv Prashant Bhushan in Goa
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar has assured Aam Aadmi Party not to send the controversial Lokayukta bill to the governor but to present it again in the Assembly in March, based on a draft the AAP would give him on the lines of Uttarakhand bill.
This was disclosed by Aam Aadmi Party national leader Adv Prashant Bhushan, who met the CM today morning, before addressed a public meeting in Panaji.
“He has told us that he would put on hold the bill passed in the Assembly. He has also requested us to give a draft on the lines of Uttarakhand bill within 20 days”, he told the journalists after the public meeting.
“My understanding is that he would thus not send this bill for assent but present it in the Assembly once again, based on our draft”, said Adv Bhushan.
Bhushan was asked whether he has confidence in Parrikar, who assured during election to bring amendments on the lines of Uttarakhand, but brought Karnataka bill amendments with controversial changes into it.
“Let him give benefit of doubt and see what he does”, said Bhushan.
When asked for his opinion on Parrikar’s contention that forcing minister or chief minister to resign once proved to be corrupt by Lokayukta was in violation of Constitution of India, Adv Bhushan, a constitutional expert, quipped: “I don’t think it is unconstitutional.”
Regarding penalizing a complainant from Rs one lakh to 10 lakh for a false and frivolous complaint, Bhushan agreed in principle that false complainant definitely needs to be punished, but a proper balance also should be maintained.
He pointed out that the Goa amendments have two different provisions to penalize and punish the complainant, but has only one provision of the public functionary like minister paying to the complainant, that too only up to Rs 10,000, if the complaint of corruption is proved.
In case of deemed rejection clause pertaining to the governor or chief minister rejecting the Lokayukta report, Adv Bhushan said Uttarakhand bill has a provision to approach the court if the government sits on the Lokayukta report.
there is option to go court, what is the problem in it.
by seeing the hefty penalty, one may not dare to lodge the complaint, but under RTI one should get all the documents with out any political or intentional delay, or by giving technical reasons.