Lokpal Bill likely to come up in RS by Tuesday

New Delhi, May 18: The much-debated Lokpal Bill is likely to be taken up by Rajya Sabha either on Monday or Tuesday in an amended form which includes deletion of the controversial provision for Lokayukta creation and bringing more transparency in appointment of CBI chief. The amended bill was widely speculated to be considered by the Cabinet yesterday but it did not happen with the sources saying it could be given post-facto approval after passage in the Rajya Sabha.Debate on the bill, passed by the Lok Sabha in December last year, could not be completed in the upper house during the last Winter session due to technical reasons.While some sources said the bill would come up on Monday, some others insisted it could not be possible before Tuesday, the last day of the Budget session.“The government is committed to bring the bill in the present session. We stand by it,” Minister of State of Personnel V Narayanasami told PTI here.The government and the opposition have agreed the Lokayukta clause should be dropped from the Bill and a separate model law can be passed which can serve as a guideline for the state to form their own anti-graft law.On the issue of removal of Lokpal, the government is reportedly coming around to the opposition demand that the ruling dispensation should not have all the powers.A middle path where Parliament takes a call on the matter and then conveys it to the Supreme Court is being worked out.As far as bringing NGOs within the ambit of Lokpal is concerned, the government may agree to the opposition's suggestion that only government-funded NGOs be under the ombudsman's purview.More autonomy to CBI and appointment and removal of the anti-corruption ombudsman remained some of the sticking points between the government and the opposition even after some rounds of confabulations on the contentious Lokpal Bill.In a bid to arrive at a consensus on the Bill, government had reached out to the Opposition leaders and held discussions on some of the issues on which they differed.While the opposition is insisting that CBI be made autonomous and taken out of the ambit of the government, the latter is not willing to part with the agency, sources said.Law Minister Salman Khurshid, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal have held discussions with the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury on the issue.Though the government is not in agreement on making CBI autonomous, it has reportedly agreed with the opposition that the agency's Director should be appointed by a collegium to bring about transparency, said the sources.The opposition has also demanded that the body which chooses the Lokpal should be neutral and have less government presence and control. The number of judges in this selection committee may be brought down.