Senior ministers discuss Lokpal implementation

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday chaired a meeting to discuss various aspects related to the proposed anti-corruption body Lokpal.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, among others.

Top Home Ministry and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) officials were also present at the meeting.

"Issues related to implementation of Lokpal act were discussed in the meeting," an official said.

The meeting comes in the wake of the recent Supreme Court judgement which said that the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013, as it stands today is "workable" legislation till the proposed amendments are effected.

"Act as it stands today is an eminently workable piece of legislation and there is no justification to keep the enforcement of the Act under suspension till the amendments, as proposed, are carried out," said the bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Navin Sinha in their judgment.

The Congress has been attacking the government over non-appointment of the Lokpal and questioning the government's intent of fighting corruption.

The appointment of the Lokpal has been pending, as there is no Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and the bill has to be amended for making a different provision.

As per the Act, a selection committee headed by the Prime Minister chooses the Chairperson and members of the Lokpal.

The government has been examining the report of a parliamentary committee, which has suggested certain changes in the act.

--IANS

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