Anti-corruption bill
India president signs anti-corruption bill
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday signed into law a landmark anti-graft bill passed by parliament in December. The new law creates a corruption ombudsman with extensive power to prosecute politicians and civil servants to create a "bribe-free India." The bill was approved by parliament with support from both the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the law, under which he himself could potentially be prosecuted, "historic and landmark legislation." The law comes in the wake of a two-year anti-corruption movement that has swept the nation as India gears up for general elections this May.
Governmental corruption has been a topic of serious discussion in India in recent years. In July the Supreme Court ruled that elected representatives convicted of serious crimes must immediately vacate their positions and be disqualified from future elections. The anti-corruption bill was stalled in the upper house of parliament in December 2011. The bill failed to pass after an abrupt reversal by the ruling Congress, a move criticized by the opposition party. The lower house of parliament passed the bill earlier that month.
(Published by Jurist – January 2, 2013)