Team Anna can appear before standing panel

Team Anna could once again appear before a Parliamentary panel scrutinising the Lokpal Bill and its various versions.

Team Anna could once again appear before a Parliamentary panel scrutinising the Lokpal Bill and its various versions.

HT Image

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal - the two associates of Gandhian Anna Hazare - on Tuesday met Abhishek Singhvi, chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

"We had come to find out how the Standing Committee will proceed and the time it will take," Bhushan told reporters after his 40-minute interaction with Singhvi.

Bhushan quoted Singhvi as saying that all those interested in giving their suggestions on Lokpal issue would be invited and the Committee will consider "all the bills."

The Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by team Anna was referred to the Committee by DoPT recently while the official Lokpal Bill introduced in Lok Sabha was referred to the panel on August 8.

"He said the deadline of October-end for the Committee to complete its report will be met so that it (the bill) could be considered in the winter session of Parliament," Bhushan said quoting Singhvi.

He said that Team Anna could be called by the Committee in the last week of October and perhaps on yet another occasion to place its views.

Soon after the Lokpal Bill was referred to the Committee, Hazare and his associates had deposed before it and said the panel should ask the government to withdraw the Lokpal Bill as it would "encourage corruption".