SC refuses immediate hearing on Lok Pal Bill petition

The Supreme Court today declined to give immediate hearing on a petition seeking to restrain the government from circulating the draft of the proposed Lok Pal Bill to parliamentarians.

A vacation bench comprising justices P Sathasivam Reddy and A K Patnaik said the matter of the Lok Pal Bill is still under discussion and there is no need to interfere at this stage.

"It is still under discussion. Why should we discuss here at this stage? Let them solve it first, then it would come before us," the bench said asking the petitioner M L Sharma to get the matter listed after the summer vacation.

The bench said it is the right of parliamentarians to discuss the draft Bill. Its remarks came while negating the submission of the petitioner that it was against the established law.

"Do you think that the draft would be made law before Monday? We do not know when it would be solved. If it is solved, then we are ready to sit on Saturday," the bench said.

The apex court's remarks came after Sharma submitted that the Joint Drafting Committee was not a legal advisory committee to draft a Lok Pal Bill but is a parallel committee for consideration of a civil society petition on Lok Pal Bill.

"Civil society petition committee is deciding policy and preparing the final report with pre-consent of the members of parliament to put it in the House. ....It cannot be said to be an advisory committee by any stretch of law," the petitioner said.

He further submitted that as per law, Secretary General of the House receives the proposed draft Bill. After that, the House standing committee evaluates, arranges and prepares and introduces a bill on the floor and the Joint Drafting Committee can not violate it.