Pm Under Lokpal

• May include junior MPs, babus in Lokpal, says govt

  In an attempt to stave off another mass movement by Anna Hazare, and to prove its commitment to fighting corruption, the government has suggested that it is likely to meet two of the key demands that Anna has for the new anti-corruption Lokpal Bill. V Narayanswamy, who is the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, has said that the Prime...

• What the parliamentary committee recommends for Lokpal

  A parliamentary committee today adopted its report on the contentious Lokpal Bill leaving it to the wisdom of Parliament to decide on inclusion of Prime Minister in its ambit while Congress members gave dissenting notes demanding inclusion of Group C officials within its purview.

• CBI not under Lokpal ambit? Team Anna cries foul

  The one point where there was unanimity in an all-party panel preparing a draft Lokpal Bill - giving full autonomy to the CBI in investigating corruption cases - seems to now be the key sticking point. Team Anna is not in agreement.

• 'Consensus' in parliamentary panel for making Lokpal a constitutional body

  The parliamentary panel looking into the Lokpal Bill today arrived at a "broad consensus" on making the body a constitutional authority. Towards that end, an agreement was also reached for the need for a constitutional amendment to effect the process.

• Will Lokpal Bill cover PM's office? Parties divided

  Anna Hazare and his team of activists have told the government that the new Lokpal Bill - intended to check corruption among government servants -must be passed in the Winter Session of Parliament, which begins on November 22.

• Lokpal Bill: Cabinet keeps PM out, Anna's version dumped

  The cabinet has cleared the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill, and has decided that the Prime Minister will be exempt from investigation for corruption while he or she is in office. Senior judges also won't be covered by the Bill.

• Lokpal Bill: All-party meeting underway; consensus unlikely?

  The making of the Lokpal Bill has seen a series of unsuccessful meetings between the government representatives and civil society members of the drafting panel.In a bid to evolve consensus over the widely-debated bill, the government today convened an all-party meeting that is currently underway at the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence.Stri...

• Lokpal Bill: NDA to meet today to finalise stand

  The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is holding a meeting today to finalise its stand on the Lokpal Bill. This comes ahead of the all-party meet called by the government in Delhi on Sunday to discuss the conflicting versions of the Bill - one prepared by five ministers and the other by five activists led by Anna Hazare. Senior BJP leaders...

• Jayalalithaa against bringing PM under Lokpal

  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has said she was against bringing the Prime Minister under the Lokpal's ambit as it would undermine his authority and pave way for a parallel government. "The Prime Minister should be excluded from the purview of the bill as he is already covered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the CBI can investi...

• Big Lokpal differences, Anna to fast from August 16

  The chasm between the two teams that are drafting India's new law against corruption took on Grand Canyon proportions today. At its ninth and final meeting, the committee assigned to work on the Lokpal Bill walked away from the table clutching two separate drafts of the same bill. (Read: Team Anna's draft of Lokpal Bill)"We agreed to disagree," sai...

• Digvijaya retracts as Congress distances from his PM-under-Lokpal remark

  Senior Congress leader and party General Secretary Digvijaya Singh today retracted from his statement that the Prime Minister should come within the ambit of Lokpal as the party distanced itself from his remarks.A day after telling reporters in Guna that the PM, the judiciary, NGOs and industrial houses should also come under the scrutiny of Lokpal...

• What is PM afraid of, asks Team Anna

  Activists led by Anna Hazare have written to the Prime Minister, urging him to allow his office to be covered by the new Lokpal Bill being drafted to check corruption."You are one of the most honest Prime Ministers that the country has had," the letter states, pointing out that "as of today, the Prime Minister is covered under the Prevention of Cor...