Parliament on Tuesday passed the Bill to amend the 1988 anti-corruption law by seeking to punish bribe-givers for the first time along with the bribe takers, as the lok Sabha gave its nod to it.
Moving the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill for passage in the lower House, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said its aim was to enhance transparency and accountability of the government and also to make the provisions under the law stringent. The measure reflects the Narendra Modi government's zero tolerance towards corruption, he said.
Replying to the debate before the bill was passed by a voice vote, Singh said through this measure, it is also being ensured that honest officers are not harassed. Not only taking bribe, but giving bribe would also be a crime, he said. The Minister said that now prior approval for investigation will be required in cases of all government officers. Earlier, it was restricted to officials above the rank of a Joint Secretary.
The bill, which got the Rajya Sabha’s nod last week with 43 amendments, seeks to set a timeframe within which a court would decide on corruption issues, he said, adding that verdicts in such cases has to be given “ordinarily” in two years. He also said that immunity from arrest would be available to all levels of officers, as against the existing provision of joint secretary and above.
The Minister said the bill had many provisions to ensure speedy trial of corruption cases, besides providing protection to bureaucrats, even after their retirement, from malicious complaints. For the bribe takers, the bill proposes to increase the punishment to a minimum of three years of imprisonment, which may extend to seven years, besides fine.
Initiating the debate, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the opposition will support the government if they fought corruption in reality rather than making claims. “Under your rule, India, which was known as land of saints, has turned into land of scamsters....Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and many others fled the country after defaulting on banks’ money,” he said.
Countering his charges, the BJP MP Prahlad Joshi said it was during the rule of UPA government, the money was given to all these businessman who have now fled.
Joshi attacked the Congress with detailing the history from Jeep Scam to 2G Scam to Coal scam under the Congress regime. Joshi’s remarks on Sonia Gandhi for the Agusta Westland scam created heated argument for a brief time with Congress and BJP MPs.