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Punjab cabinet okays Lokayukta Bill; CM, ministers within ambit
The bill seeks to replace the existing Punjab Lokpal Act, 1996, and, once passed, will cover all public functionaries, including the chief minister.
The Punjab cabinet on Monday approved the Punjab Lokayukta Bill, 2020, for passage in the ongoing session of the legislative assembly in its bid to improve governance and curb corruption.
The bill seeks to replace the existing Punjab Lokpal Act, 1996, and, once passed, will cover all public functionaries, including the chief minister. However, the prosecution of a sitting chief minister, ministers and members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) would require the approval of two-third members of the House, an official spokesperson said.
A senior officer of the Punjab government, who worked on the bill, told HT on condition of anonymity that the institution of Lokayukta has been empowered and could prosecute even the sitting chief minister unlike its earlier avatar of a “toothless entity” that could only make recommendations.
Lokayuktas in some states, such as Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra, have the powers to prosecute sitting chief ministers, but under certain conditions. To be sure, a Lokayuta has seldom recommended action against a sitting chief minister.
The new law gives the Lokayukta will enjoy all the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and also provides for prosecution of a complainant in case of a false complaint, he added.
The bill is an extension of a central act passed by the Modi government in its first term, which mandated the states to bring a legislation on similar lines, giving more power to the institution of Lokayukta.
Monday’s Punjab cabinet nod comes three years after the ruling Congress had promised to bring in a similar act in its manifesto for the 2017 Punjab assembly election.
The official said that the bill bars a parallel probe into a complaint against any officer or public functionary, if an inquiry is being conducted into the matter by the Lokayukta. Similarly, under its provisions, the Lokayukta will not have the authority to conduct a parallel inquiry if the matter is already under investigation by the state government.
