Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Jan Lokpal Bill Of India Still A Dream


Jan lokpal bill of India has been lingering for more than 42 years. What miracle could have been expected from Indian government in two months? At the end of the prescribed period, it is now clear that Jan lokpal bill may still not be an accomplished dream.

Jan Lokpal Bill must not be any simple piece of Legislation. Rather, it must be Strong, Robust and Effective, says Praveen Dalal, a Supreme Court Lawyer and leading techno legal expert of India. None can doubt the effectiveness of Technology for bringing Accountability and Transparency. Unfortunately, the version of both Civil Society and Indian Government failed to consider this aspect, says Dalal.

It seems Indian government is not willing to accommodate suggestions and inputs of public at large. If this is the scenario then the chances of Jan lokpal being a good one are very bleak.

Even the concerns and suggestions of the civil society members of the joint drafting committee were not considered by the governmental representative. The core issues have been rejected by the member of government and without those core issues and the one suggested by experts of India, Jan lokpal bill would be just a formality.

In these circumstances we are trying to win a game that we have already lost. Well begun is half done but this maxim just applies to Indian government that has tactfully sidelined the main issues and has ignored the critical inputs of various experts.