Team Anna can again appear before Standing Committee on Lokpal

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Team Anna could once again appear
before a Parliamentary panel scrutinising the Lokpal
Bill(anti-corruption ombudsman bill) and its various versions.
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan and Right to Information(RTI)
activist Arvind Kejriwal - the two associates of Gandhian Anna
Hazare - 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(citizens' anti-corruption ombudsman
bill) drafted by team Anna was referred to the Committee by
Department of Personnel and Training(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 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".
Bhushan said "ideally" his associates would have liked
the Committee to complete its report in one month and
Parliament to pass the Lokpal Bill during a 'special session'.
The Committee is meeting on September 7 to discuss the
various aspects of the issue.
The meeting is being held days after both Houses of
Parliament adopted a 'Sense of the House' on three key issues
raised by Hazare with regard to the Lokpal Bill with an aim to
persuade him to end his 12-day hunger strike.
Parliament had agreed in principle on the citizen's
charter, bringing lower bureaucracy under Lokpal and
establishment of Lokayuktas in states.
The proceedings have since been sent to the Committee for
its perusal while formulating its recommendations on Lokpal
Bill.