Topic Of The Day:-“Nudged Into Action: On The Lokpal Act”
After Long Delays, A Supreme Court Push Is Needed To Establish The Lokpal
It should have never come to this on the Lokpal. That it requires a Supreme Court order to nudgethe government to make any progress towards establishing the anti-graft institution is a poorcommentary on its functioning. The court has asked the eight-member Search Committee under the Lokpal Act to recommend a panel of names before the end of February. This shortlist has to be sent to the Selection Committee, headed by the Prime Minister. It has taken five years since the Lokpal Act, 2013, received the President’s assent on January 1, 2014, for a Search Committee to even begin its work. It was formed only on September 27, 2018, after Common Cause, an NGO, filed a contempt petition against the government over the delay in constituting the authoritydespite a Supreme Court verdict in April 2017. It is true that setting up the Search Committee requires some groundwork, as its composition should be drawn from diverse fields such as anti-corruption policy, public administration, law, banking and insurance; also, half its membership should consist of women, backward class, minority and SC/ST candidates. However, it is the government’s duty to expedite this process and not cite it as a reason for delay. Even after it was formed, the Search Committee has been handicapped because of lack of office space, manpower, infrastructure and a secretariat. The court has now asked the government to provide the required infrastructure. In the past too, the court has admonished the Centre for the delay in creating the institution. In its April 2017 verdict, the court brushed aside the reason that the government was awaiting the passage of an amendment based on a parliamentary committee report and said there was no legal bar on the Selection Committee moving ahead with its work even if there was a vacancy in it.There is a good deal of politics behind the delay. The Selection Committee, which includes the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of India and an eminentjurist, has met in the past without Mallikarjun Kharge, who heads the Congress in the Lok Sabha. He has been skipping meetings, as he is aggrieved that the government has not made him a full member, and has roped him in as a ‘special invitee’. The government sticks to its view that he has not been recognised as the Leader of the Opposition by the Speaker. This minor issue has beenresolved in respect of appointments to other posts such as CBI Director and Central Vigilance Commissioner by a simple amendment to treat the leader of the largest Opposition party as the Leader of the Opposition for this purpose. This amendment has not been brought about despite a parliamentary committee report endorsing the idea in December 2015. Nothing except the lack of political will to establish the Lokpal can explain years of delay.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) establish
Meaning : set up on a firm or permanent basis.
Synonyms : create
Antonyms : disprove
Example : “the scheme was established in 1975”
2) nudge
Meaning : prod (someone) gently with one’s elbow in order to attract attention.
Synonyms : poke
Antonyms : discourage
Example : “people were nudging each other and pointing at me”
3) commentary
Meaning : an expression of opinions or offering of explanations about an event or situation(n).
Synonyms : comment
Antonyms ; disregard
Example : “a biting social commentary about the divide between rich and poor”
4) assent
Meaning : the expression of approval or agreement(n).
Synonyms : concurrence
Antonyms ; denial
Example : “a loud murmur of assent”
5) contempt
Meaning : the feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or beneath consideration(n).
Synonyms : antipathy
Antonyms ; approval
Example : “Pam stared at the girl with total contempt”
6) despite
Meaning : without being affected by; in spite of.
Synonyms : although
Antonyms ; exalt
Example : “he remains a great leader despite age and infirmity”
7) verdict
Meaning : a decision on an issue of fact in a civil or criminal case or an inquest.(n)
Synonyms : conclusion
Antonyms ; accusation
Example : “the jury returned a verdict of not guilty”
8) diverse
Meaning : showing a great deal of variety; very different.
Synonyms : disparate
Antonyms ; similar
Example : “a culturally diverse population”
9) consist
Meaning : be composed or made up of.
Synonyms : subsist
Antonyms ; energize
Example : “the crew consists of five men”
10) expedite
Meaning : make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly.
Synonyms : assist
Antonyms ; delay
Example : “he promised to expedite economic reforms”
11) cite
Meaning : refer to (a passage, book, or author) as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement, especially in a scholarly work.(v)
Synonyms : allege
Antonyms ; conceal
Example : “authors who are highly regarded by their peers tend to be cited”
12) eminent
Meaning : (of a person) famous and respected within a particular sphere.
Synonyms : esteemed
Antonyms ; common
Example : “one of the world’s most eminent statisticians”
13) aggrieved
Meaning : feeling resentment at having been unfairly treated.(adj)
Synonyms : disturbed
Antonyms ; comforted
Example : “they were aggrieved at the outcome”
14) endorsing
Meaning : declare one’s public approval or support of.
Synonyms : advocate
Antonyms ; censure
Example : “the report was endorsed by the college”
15) delay
Meaning : declare one’s public approval or support of.
Synonyms : problem
Antonyms ; continuation
Example : “the report was endorsed by the college”
