Aims to bring Goa Act on par with Uttarakhand
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday handed over a draft of amendments to the Goa Lokayukta Act to the Chief Minister, which they said, if incorporated into the Goa Lokayukta Act, would bring it on par with the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act.
The draft amendments, drawn up by Prashant Bhushan a senior advocate and member of the Aam Admi Party were handed over to the chief minister on Wednesday evening, who accepted it with a smile on his face.
Speaking to media, Dinesh Vaghela, the National Executive Member of the Aam Aadmi Party said they had fulfilled their side of the commitment and it was now Parrikar’s turn to fulfill his obligation.
“With the handing over of the draft, we have fulfilled our side of the commitment it is now up to him to fulfill his,” Vaghela told media persons.
The commitment they are referring to is a meeting between Prashant Bhushan, other members of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Chief Minister on February 10 at the Chief Minister’s Office wherein Parrikar is reported to have told the delegation that if a draft of amendments to the Goa Lokayukta Act 2011 were given to him before March 15, he would ensure that it would be introduced and passed in the budget session of the assembly, which begins March 18.
“We had initially promised to give the draft by March 5. We are one week late. But Parrikar had promised that even if we give it by March 15, he would consider it,” Vaghela said.
The draft amendments, suggested by the Aam Aadmi party, among other things have provisions for constituting a Lokayukta Bench of five people to decided on cases like that of the chief minister and other senior government officials, and gives only 15 days for a competent authority to decide on the report of a Lokayukta. If the competent authority fails to take a decision, the recommendations are deemed accepted and if the competent authority rejects them, the Lokayukta can approach High Court against such a decision.
The draft amendments also make it clear that if a complaint is filed and cannot be proved, it isn’t necessarily a false complaint.
