Himachal House passes Lok Ayukta Bill

Opposition Congress calls it ‘weak and ineffective’

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed the Lok Ayukta Bill on Friday, even as the opposition Congress called it weak and ineffective.

Chief minister P K Dhumal compared the Bill to neighbouring Uttarakhand’s, saying it was far better and stronger.

“We have incorporated inputs both from the public and the sitting Lokayukta. It is in consonance with the constitution of India,” said Dhumal.

The prosecution sanction of the chief minister will be given by the state Assembly.

Prosecution sanction against MLAs will be given by the assembly speaker and against the ministers, officers of the rank of secretary and above and heads of the department, by the chief minister.

The Bill covers all government officials from the chief minister to the village level councils. The Bill repeals the earlier Lokayukta Act of 1983.

Prosecution permission against judicial officers will be given by the High Court.

There is also a provision for hiding the identity of the whistle blowers besides providing them security if they demand.

The opposition Congress was not present during debate on the Bill. So the treasury benches passed the Bill quietly on the last day of the budget session. The leader of the opposition, Vidya Stokes, criticised the Bill later outside the House, saying the chief minister had not even bothered to consult her before passing it.

“The Bill is weak as most of the powers are vested in the chief minister,” said Stokes.

Earlier this week, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal had criticised the Bill calling it “very weak and ineffective”. He had asked for making it strong like the Uttarakhand Bill.

Kejriwal had reportedly refused to meet a top official of the Himachal government who wanted to show him the draft of the Bill.