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Jan Lokpal bill is 'Jokepal' bill, say the Bhushans

They described the Janlokpal as "Jokepal" saying that under pressure, due to unjustified delay, the Delhi cabinet has now passed a Delhi Janlokpal Bill, 2015 which is cheating with national capital and the Lokpal movement.

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Questioning the provisions of the Delhi government's proposed Lokpal bill, noted activist-lawyers Prashant Bhushan and his father Shanti Bhushan on Saturday accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of committing the "biggest fraud" on the people by diluting the original Jan Lokpal draft of the Anna movement and demanded the CM's resignation.

They described the Janlokpal as "Jokepal" saying that under pressure, due to unjustified delay, the Delhi cabinet has now passed a Delhi Janlokpal Bill, 2015 which is cheating with national capital and the Lokpal movement.

Swaraj Abhiyaan leaders questioned the present provisions of appointment of the Lokpal, his jurisdiction, removal of chairperson or members of Janlokpal, no investigating machinery and also penalty on false complaints, and claimed that Union ministers and officials were put under the ambit of the proposed legislation "deliberately" to provoke confrontation with the Centre.

The AAP government, which is yet to make the bill public, has "diluted" the original provisions of Jan Lokpal of Anna movement, they said.

Prashant Bhushan said Kejriwal does not like to be questioned just like "Modi" so he has chosen not to make the contents of the Bill public.

"No activist or movement in India's history has played such a big fraud with people. This will only ensure that the Central government does not approve and the Bill never gets passed. Kejriwal never had the intention to form a strong Lokpal body," the former AAP leader said.

These two lawyers were among those who had founded the Aam Aadmi Party with Kejriwal. They demanded Kejriwal's resignation saying he had come to power on the promise of providing a strong and independent anti-corruption watchdog but had failed.

The Delhi government has extended the ongoing winter session of the state assembly by a week to enable passage of the bill.

The Bhushans said the proposed watchdog will not be independent and has been kept under the government, in the bill.

The Bill, which was recently cleared by the AAP cabinet, says that a four-member selection committee, comprising the Chief Minister, Speaker, Leader of Opposition and Delhi High Court Chief Justice would appoint the Lokpal, while the removal can be ensured by a motion in the Assembly with two-thirds majority.

"Even the Centre's Lokpal Act, which has been termed as jokepal by Kejriwal, is stronger than this Bill. This is a 'mahajokepal'. Kejriwal must resign from office," senior Bhushan said.

"In all the draft Lokpals that we have prepared till date, state Lokayuktas are not supposed to have any such powers….," they said, also questioning the provision which stipulates one-year imprisonment for false complaints, saying it will only deter complainants.

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