After much ado, the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi Government will table its modified Jan Lokpal Bill in the Monsoon Session of the Delhi Assembly likely to take place next month, party insiders claim.
In 2014, a tug-of-war over the said Bill with its coalition partner, the Delhi Congress, had been the reason behind the party’s move to resign during its first stint of 49 days at the helm of power. The revised version of the bill, which the party has been working on for several months, will seek to tilt the balance in its favour when it comes to issues like land, public order and policing – especially in the context of the anti-corruption branch (ACB), according to informed sources. The Opposition, most prominently the Congress, had been questioning the AAP Government’s commitment to its own anti-corruption credentials and most importantly the cause of the Jan Lokpal since forming the Government in Delhi.
A senior government spokesperson said the draft bill would be first sent to the Centre which will then refer it back to the Delhi Government in case of any objections before it can be tabled in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
According to the spokesperson, the new bill would seek enough powers to be able to prosecute even the Chief Minister of Delhi, trials of cases referred to it to end in six months and jail terms ranging from one year to life imprisonment for those found guilty.
