NEW DELHI, Dec 20 � The Union Cabinet tonight approved a historic bill for creation a Lokpal with Constitutional status that will have no control over CBI but brings within its purview the Prime Minister with a number of safeguards, reports PTI.
Not succumbing to Anna Hazare�s demand for inclusion of CBI under Lokpal, the government also decided against hiving off of the prosecution wing of the CBI.
After two days of intense drafting by a group of ministers and officials, the new draft of Constitution (Amendment) Bill was cleared at a special Cabinet meeting that lasted 70 minutes.
The bill will be introduced in Lok Sabha on Thursday and the existing one, introduced in August, would be withdrawn.
The Lokpal will be a nine-member body, whose Chairman will be selected by a four-member panel consisting of Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India or his nominee from among the Supreme Court judges, sources told PTI.
The bill provides for the Prime Minister to be brought under the purview of the Lokpal with certain safeguards that keep out aspects like international
relations, public order, atomic energy, space, internal and external security from inquiry.
