1.4.12

A different view

Press Council Chief Justice Markandey Katju urged the Parliament to refer the Lokpal Bill to a standing committee for further consideration so that a workable corruption investigation machinery can be created. In its present state, the Lokpal Bill can create a parallel bureaucracy that could turn into a “Frankenstein’s monster” and double or triple corruption, he said in a statement. Katju, a retired SC judge, said that whether it was the Jan Lokpal Bill or the sarkari Lokpal Bill, the legislation envisaged overseeing the work of some 55 lakh government employees in the country (of which 13 lakh are in the Railways alone), from the PM to a mere peon. “Surely, one person cannot enquire into the lakhs of complaints which are bound to pour in. It will require thousands of Lokpals, may be 50,000 of them to do this,” he said. He also added that all these officers will have to be given salaries and amenities like housing, offices and staff. “And then where is the guarantee that these will not themselves become corrupt? Considering the low level of morality prevailing in India, we can be certain a large number of them will become blackmailers,” Katju said. He added that the implications of creating a Lokpal have not been rationally thought out and “some think that all problems of corruption will be solved by shouting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ at Jantar Mantar or Ram Lila Grounds. He said while Anna was an honest person, his ideas were not scientific.

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