Inderne har forsøgt at enes om et særligt vagthunde-embede mod den omsiggribende korruption i over 40 år – indtil videre uden held
A controversial bill to set up an anti-corruption watchdog has been tabled in the lower house of India’s parliament, BBC online reports Thursday.
The proposed ombudsman would have the power to investigate and prosecute politicians and civil servants.
Activists who helped draft the bill say it does not go far enough because the prime minister and senior judges would be spared prosecution while in office. They are urging MPs to vote against it.
India has been hit by a string of high-profile corruption scandals.
Politicians, civil servants and business leaders are accused of robbing the state of billions of dollars, badly damaging the government’s reputation.
There is no guarantee that the bill will be passed – different governments have been trying to set up an anti-corruption watchdog since 1969 but on each occasion MPs have voted against it.
Last Thursday, the government approved a draft of the law which allows citizens to approach the ombudsman with complaints against federal ministers and bureaucrats, who are protected under India’s present anti-corruption laws.
Some of the recent corruption scandals to have rocked India include an alleged multi-billion dollar telecoms scam, claims of financial malpractice in connection with the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and the allegations that houses intended for war widows ended up in the hands of civil servants.
