CHANDIGARH, June 18: Punjab government has decided to amend the Lok Pal Act through an ordinance or a new legislation so as to remove shortcomings in it and to ensure efficient disposal of complaints against former ministers pending before the Lok Pal.

This was stated by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today in the Vidhan Sabha during Question Hour.

Replying to a starred question from Inderjit Singh Zira and Bikramjit Singh (both Shiromani Akali Dal), Badal observed that the initial Act framed in 1995 was amended by the previous government resulting in weakening of the institution so that the ministers facing corruption charges were protected. He said there were 12 complaints against six ministers before Lok Pal then.

Elaborating the shortcomings that were incorporated in the previous legislation, Badal said it had made it mandatory to obtain prior approval of the Governor before a complaint could be taken up and that the application must be accompanied by a hefty fee. Both these clauses, he asserted, were uncalled for and would be scrapped through proposed amendments.

Reacting to the remark by former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal that if the previous amendments were aimed at protecting the ministers as alleged by Badal, will the proposed amendments be targeted at punishing them, the CM clarified that the new Lok Pal would function without any vindictiveness and its aim would be to sift grain from chaff and punish only the guilty.

Hardev Arshi (Communist Party of India) sought an assurance towards early completion of the proposed amendments as already the constitution of new Lok Pal had been delayed. Badal said it had not yet been decided whether to promulgate an ordinance or bring a new legislation in the Assembly during the next session.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.