Anna Hazare is demanding a strong Lok Pal bill. My question is as to what he means by a strong Lok Pal bill. Is he being Naive ? One thing should be clear that one bill or head of corruption for a nation of 1.2 billion is nether feasible nor practical. The demand to include the lower echelons of government are fine, but there are over 50 million in the government work force. Who will keep a tab on them?
Anna has noble ideals and they should be respected, but a single Lok Pal entity in a country like India cannot be practicable. We cannot create a superstructure and then see that it is not effective. I wonder whether Anna thought of pressurizing the government to strengthen the existing laws and stream line the judicial system. Why should a trial take over 20 years to reach its logical end. Take the case of the Bhopal gas tragedy. This ocurred in 1984 and it was only in 2011 the court could conclude the trial. The appeal process has still not started. So one can see where the fault lies.
There is an urgent need to lay down a time frame for the trials and also the question of bail as a right needs re examination. Why should a man who has swindled hundreds of crorers be given bail? Why can't he be kept in jail till the trial is over.
Bail is denied in serious crimes like murder, why not have these provisions extended to black marketeers, Swindlers and the extreme corrupt ? This is what is the need and in case this was there swindlers like Kanimozi would not get bail. This was the judgement by the trial court that earlier denied bail to Kanimozi and other accused. The supreme court set aside that judgement.
India is at the cross roads and it will be a good idea in case the government and Anna consider this aspect of the law as well. There is a crying need for a reform. A Lok Pal Bill may not be the end all and be all of corruption
Kanimozi
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