Lok Pal Bills Presentation Challenged in HC

When the entire nation is jubilant with Anna Hazare's win over Government in getting the Lok Pal Bill presented in Parliament, a Delhi based advocate challenged it in the High Court. The advocate sought High Court's direction to declare the Centre's act of introducing the Lokpal Bill in Parliament early this month as unconstitutional on the grounds of breach of laid down parliamentary procedures for introduction of bills.

Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma pleaded in his law suit that the government's action in introducing all Lokpal bills (government as well as private ones) are unconstitutional and be declared so. He apprised a bench of justices Vikramajit Sen and Siddharth Mridul of the lawsuit filed by him in an unscheduled hearing and pleaded to the court to give it an urgent hearing, following which the court scheduled it for hearing on September 1.

The petition said the government had followed an 'unprecedented' unconstitutional procedure to draft the bill by a drafting committee, which also comprised civil society members, in addition to government representatives. The petition alleged the government introduced the bill, buckling under the pressure of civil society members and various political parties.