Lokpal bill useless without three conditions: Prashant Bhushan

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Prashant Bhushan on Sunday said the Lokpal Bill which is to be passed by the government will be of no use as it would not be an unbiased and independent body.

"We had made it clear to the people that the Lokayukta will not be selected from within the government or politicians," said Bhushan.

"There will be a seven-member panel that will be doing the selection from which only the Prime Minister and the Leader of opposition will be from a political background. Other members will include two judges from the Supreme Court and the rest will be independent bodies," he said.

He added that the present Lokpal Bill would include five politicians including the prime minister, speaker of Lok Sabha and the leader of opposition which will not make any difference as the Lokpal would not remain an independent body in such a case.

"The three crucial points that we have been fighting for have been excluded from the Lokpal Bill, what is the point of passing it then? ' he asked.

"The three conditions said that firstly, all the officers would be liable to investigation by the Lokpal. The second condition was the citizen's charter according to which government organisation will have to give the public a time frame to the public in which they will have to complete the work assigned, exceeding which they will be fined or punished. Thirdly, a strong Lokpal at the centre based on which the Lokayukta will be formed in each state," he said.

"They want a government organisation to do the investigations. Till the time the administrative control is not in the hands of the Lokpal, any sort of unbiased investigation is not possible," he added.