Budding lawyers put forth their viewpoints on possible outcomes of the Jan Lokpal
Bill
Law students from various city colleges presented nuanced
and articulate views at a debate competition held to analyse the merits and demerits
of the Jan Lokpal Bill on Monday (15th August) in the high court auditorium. The
competition was organised by Vidarbha Lady Lawyers Association (VLLA).
Budding lawyers put forth their viewpoints on possible outcomes of the Jan Lokpal
Bill. As the Bill drew support of many, the need of another institution to tackle
corruption was, on the other hand, dismissed by some.
Pranjali Madnani, a student of GH Raisoni Law School, said, "There is no dearth
of anti-corruption acts. The solution lies in effective implementation. There can
be amendments to the present law tackling corruption. It is better that we make
the best use of what we have."
She added that if the highest executives and judicial officers are included in the
purview of Jan Lokpal Bill, there will be 'total anarchy.'
Countering this view was the opinion of some students that existing laws had failed
to rein in corruption. "We don't have a single corruption act that has come into
force until today. Multitudes have turned in support for the passage of Jan Lokpal
Bill. It introduces a foolproof system to make officials from the lowest to the
highest grade accountable."
Shyamali Naidu said that the Bill was a revolution and that the government has gone
to great lengths to oppose it. "The government does not want to land in soup after
being caught red-handed. The establishment of Lokayukta will tackle state-level
corruption and will serve as a helping hand to the Supreme Court as probing in every
case of CBI is not possible."
Some held that bypassing the whole system was not an effective solution
to curb corruption. However, students said the Bill would definitely bring transparency
into the system. Rohini Jaiswal said, "If the law for curbing corruption leaves
out bureaucrats and higher officials, they would be awarded with immunity against
corruption. It will not safeguard anybody if all are not included in its ambit."
Courtesy: Times of India
