The Decisive Battle Against Corruption In India Has Begun

Why is it that no one goes to jail in our country despite indulging in corruption? This is because we have completely rotten anti-corruption laws and anti-corruption agencies that it is almost impossible for the corrupt to be penalized.

Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge and present Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal (activist) have together drafted a strong anti-corruption law called Jan Lokpal Bill which requires that investigations into any case should be completed within a year and the trial should get over in the next one year so that a corrupt person goes to jail within two years of complaint and his ill gotten wealth is confiscated.

• Click here to read deficiencies in our present anti-corruption systems
• Click here to read salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill
• Click here to read how Jan Lokpal Bill will improve existing anti-corruption systems.
• Download complete draft of Jan Lokpal Bill (English)...

Lokpal Bill has been introduced eight times in Parliament since 1968. All the eight versions have been very weak. Even these weak versions have not been passed so far because Lokpal Bill seeks to investigate politicians. The latest draft of Lokpal Bill prepared by the present UPA government is a complete eyewash. Rather than strengthen anti-corruption systems, it demolishes whatever exists in the name of anti-corruption systems today. It seeks to completely insulate politicians from any kind of action against them.

• Click here to read our critique of Government’s Lokpal Bill
• Click here to read comparison between Jan Lokpal Bill and Government’s Lokpal Bill.
• Download Government’s Lokpal Bill

We have drafted a similar Bill called Jan Lokayukta Bill for the states. Presently 18 states have Lokayukta Acts. However, they are quite ineffective. We want that the existing Lokayukta Acts should be replaced with Jan Lokayukta Bills.