Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, who is member of the newly-appointed joint committee on Lokpal Bill, has said that the Prime Minister should come under the purview of the anti-corruption measure, allowing the Ombudsman to investigate him if needed. "The Prime Minister should be included in the Lokpal Bill and subjected to, if need be, to an investigation by the Lokpal," Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge known for his vigorous campaign against corruption, said.

"I don't find any reason why the Prime Minister should not be included. Therefore, that issue is no more a contentious issue," he said on Saturday.

Hegde, whose name was proposed by Gandhian Anna Hazare and his supporters to the government for the ten-member committee on Lokpal Bill, was part of the panel which had earlier given a draft of their version of the Bill.