Anti-graft activists to submit new draft of Goa Lokayukta Bill

Panaji: Aam Admi Party will submit a list of changes in the Goa Lokayukta Bill on the lines of the law in Uttarakhand, which has provisions for a foolproof ombudsman body, AAP founder-member Prashant Bhushan said on Sunday.

After meeting Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar here, Bhushan said a fresh draft will be submitted to the Goa government in order to weed out "all objectionable clauses" in the bill, which was recently passed by the Goa Assembly. "The chief minister has asked for a draft of the bill to make necessary changes. I have an impression that he won`t send the current bill for the governor`s assent and instead wait for the budget session to pass the bill along with the necessary changes," Bhushan told a gathering of AAP workers. He said that the new draft would be on the lines of the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill, which has provisions for a foolproof ombudsman body. Indian Against Corruption (IAC) and like minded activists have objected to certain clauses in the Goa Lokayukta Bill, 2013 including a clause imposing a fine between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for filing vexatious complaints with the Lokayukta. "If the Lokayukta is pliable and if he says the complaint is fake, even if it is genuine, then complainants would have to pay fines of Rs 10 lakh or undergo imprisonment," Bhushan said, adding this could deter serious complainants. He said that false complainants must be punished, but there must be a balance. As per the bill, there is no independent investigation agency attached to the Goa Lokayukta, he said. PTI