Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill receives mixed reaction

The new Lokayukta Bill passed by the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday night has evoked mixed reaction despite protests by the main opposition BJP.

Before passing the bill, the House also annulled the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act 2011, a measure described by “unconstitutional” by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

Unlike the previous bill, the lower judiciary will not come into the ambit of the Lokayukta. However, the ombudsman has been empowered to probe corruption charges against the Chief Minister and all the cabinet ministers, IAS and IPS officers in the new bill.

“This is a landmark bill which has been passed by the Vidhan Sabha. This bill is modeled on the Lokpal Bill passed by the Parliament which had won praise from both BJP and Anna Hazare,” said Bahuguna.

The Uttarakhand Lokayukta bill 2014 was passed by the Vidhan Sabha by a voice vote after the BJP members staged a walkout saying the new measure has several “deficiencies” which will not be an effective weapon against corruption. “Certain provisions like a bar on cases which are more than 7 year old cannot be taken up by the Lokayukta. This means that all those corruption cases during the tenure of former Chief Minister N D Tiwari will not be taken up by the Lokayukta,” said leader of the opposition Ajay Bhatt.

Bhatt also criticised the provision of the bill where the civil courts will have no power in taking up all those cases which are being heard by the lokayukta. Former Chief Minister B C Khanduri also termed the new measure as “eyewash” which he said will weaken the fight against corruption. “In the new bill, four members of the lokayukta can be politicians so there is no question of any independence of the system,” said Khanduri.

However, Avdhash Kaushal, chairperson of RLEK, an NGO having expertise on legal matters, welcomed the new lokayukta bill saying the new measure is much stronger than the old one. “In the new Lokayukta bill, the government has rightly taken out the lower judiciary out of the ambit of the lokayukta. We cannot lower the esteem of the judiciary,” said Kaushal.

Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat also welcomed it and said it will help in the fight against corruption in the long run.