ISRO, arms deals will come under ambit of Jan Lokpal

Organisations like the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and arms deals would also be brought under the ambit of the proposed Lokpal Bill, Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde said today.

“We propose to cover organisations like the Indian Space Research Organization and arms deals under the purview of Jan Lokpal as they are important from the internal security angle, besides the Prime Minister above all too will come under its jurisdiction,” Hegde, part of the 10-member Joint Drafting Committee on Lokpal Bill, told reporters here.

Responding to a query, he said till date three meetings of the committee,comprising of representatives of government and civil society, had been held. “In the first meeting, we just discussed the procedures to be followed, in the second, we discussed about the things we need to focus and in the third meeting the government gave its response,” he said.

Two more meetings are scheduled for May 23 and May 30. “However, these two meetings will not be conclusive and we may need a couple of more meetings to draft bill,” Hegde said.

To another question, he said “the Jan Lokpal, when constituted, will consist of Chief Lokpal and 10 other Lokpal members who will work under him”.