The above headline (IE, 16/6/11) sums up the stalemate between the government representatives and the civil society members on the joint panel on the Lokpal bill. While the civil society members want the PM, higher judiciary, MPs and bureaucracy to be included in the purview of Lokpal, the government wants to exclude them for various reasons. The recent episodes of alleged corruption both at the ministerial level and that of higher judiciary have created doubts about the probity in our governance and that is why people have responded spontaneously to the call of Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev.
As an alterative, can the government and the civil society agree to have a special bench of two or three judges in the Supreme Court to deal exclusively with the complaints against PM, MPs and bureaucrats and a similar bench in the High Courts at the states level without changing present system of governance. CVC and CBI should be under this bench to ensure impartiality and expedite prosecution. As far as the complaints against higher judiciary is concerned, it should be enquired into by a panel consisting of CJI and two recently retired CJIs with a mandate to take action within a specified period.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/lokpal-only-meeting-no-meeting-ground/804349/0
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