Jan Lokpal to ensure Chief Minister's answerability

NEW DELHI: The proposed Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill will make the chief minister accountable and the process will be a simple one to prevent any manipulation, claimed chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday. This will be one of the major differences from the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act 2011, on which the proposed Bill is based.

"I am not very happy with the Uttarakhand law as far as taking action on the chief minister is concerned. I want to create a law where the CM is held accountable minus the many layers of procedures. The process should be simple and accessible to the complainants among the common man," Kejriwal told reporters after meeting the members of Jan Lokpal committee.

"We had a meeting of the Jan Lokpal committee today. There are some fine points that need work. It is likely that by early next week, the final draft will be ready to be tabled before the Delhi cabinet for its approval," Kejriwal added.

Earlier in the day, sources in the chief minister's office had said that a cabinet meeting is likely to be convened to approve the final draft of the bill on Friday.

On Wednesday, party's senior leader Manish Sisodia had said that government is gearing to call a special assembly session by first week of February to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, which is now in its final stage. The Bill will probably be passed in Ramlila Maidan, claim government sources.

The Jan Lokpal Bill will cover ministers and government servants, including IAS and IPS officers, besides judiciary. It is likely to impose penalty on the complainant if the complaint is found to lack any basis or evidence. The Jan Lokpal Bill is one the most prominent promises which Aam Aadmi Party made in its manifesto. Earlier, the chief minister had promised to pass it on December 28.

The new bill will repeal the existing Delhi Lokayukta Act