Protests for quick passage of Whistleblowers protection bill; protesters meet Rahul Gandhi, Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad

NEW DELHI: Scores of activists and kin of those who failed to receive protection after exposing corruption today demanded early passage of the whistleblowers bill pending in Parliament.

Families of several whistleblowers held a demonstration at India Gate here, displaying photographs of their slain relatives, including Bihar's engineer Satyendra Dubey and demanded early passage of the legislation aimed at providing security to those who expose corruption.

They also marched from India Gate to Jantar Mantar, where they held a candle light vigil in support of their demand.

The Grievance Redress bill (The Right of Citizens to Time-bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill) and the Whistleblowers Protection bill have been pending in Parliament for several years.

Both the bills will lapse if they are not passed in the ongoing session of Parliament, Anjali Bhardwaj, associated with National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information, said.

The protesters also met Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad among others, who assured them that the bills would be top priority for them and their parties will support their passage, Bhardwaj said.

The protesters appealed to all MPs to allow Parliament to function and to debate these bills.