ISRO & arms deals to be covered under Lokpal Bill

Organisations like Indian Space Research Organisation and arms deals would also be brought under the ambit of the proposed Lokpal Bill, Karnataka lok ayukta N Santosh Hegde said today.

"We propose to cover organisations like ISRO and arms deals under the purview of Jan Lokpal as they are important from internal security angle, besides the prime minister above all who will come under its jurisdiction", Hegde, part of the 10-member joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, said.

Responding to a query, he said till date three meetings of the committee,comprising representatives of government and civil society, had been held.

"In the first meeting, we just discussed the procedures to be followed, in the second, we discussed about the things we need to focus and in the third meeting the government gave its response", he said.

Two more meetings are scheduled for May 23 and May 30. "However, these two meetings will not be conclusive and we may need a couple of more meetings to draft bill", Hegde said.

To another question, he said, "The Jan Lokpal, when constituted, will consist of chief Lokpal and 10 other Lokpal members who will work under him".