The Whistleblowers' Protection Bill, 2011 was passed by the Lok Sabha. The bill aims to provide protection to those who disclose information about corruption or willful abuse of power by public servants including ministers, MPs, and officials. Key amendments include expanding the scope to include ministers, MPs, defense services, intelligence agencies, bank officials and PSUs. The Special Protection Group will be excluded from the protections. False or frivolous complaints will be punishable under the law.
The Whistleblowers' Protection Bill, 2011 was passed by the Lok Sabha. The bill aims to provide protection to those who disclose information about corruption or willful abuse of power by public servants including ministers, MPs, and officials. Key amendments include expanding the scope to include ministers, MPs, defense services, intelligence agencies, bank officials and PSUs. The Special Protection Group will be excluded from the protections. False or frivolous complaints will be punishable under the law.
The Whistleblowers' Protection Bill, 2011 was passed by the Lok Sabha. The bill aims to provide protection to those who disclose information about corruption or willful abuse of power by public servants including ministers, MPs, and officials. Key amendments include expanding the scope to include ministers, MPs, defense services, intelligence agencies, bank officials and PSUs. The Special Protection Group will be excluded from the protections. False or frivolous complaints will be punishable under the law.
NEW DELHI: A Bill which seeks amendments, cleared by the
to provide p for settingg up p a Union Cabinet recently. One regular g mechanism to en- of them was renaming the courage g persons p to disclose Bill. information on corruption p p or wilful misuse of power byy SPG out of Bill public p servants,, includingg A major amendment Ministers,, was passed p byy the cleared byy the Cabinet is the Lok Sabha on Tuesday night. inclusion of Ministers,, MPs,, The Whistleblowers’ Pro- defence services,, intelli- tection Bill,, 2011,, also o seeks ggence agencies, g , bank officials to provide p “adequate q protec- p and PSUs under the ambit of tion to persons p reporting p g The Special Protec- the bill. T corruption p or wilful misuse tion Group (SPG) has been of discretion which causes kept out of the ambit of the demonstrable loss to the gov- g Bill. ernment or commission of a One of the recommenda- criminal offence by a public tions of the Committee to servant.” servant. include higher judiciary While the measure sets (Judges of Supreme Court out the procedure to inquireq and High Courts) has been into the disclosures and d pro- p rejected. j vides adequate q safeguards g The definition of “disclo- against g victimisation of the sure” has also been amended whistleblower,, it also seeks to include wilful misuse of to provide p punishment p for power or wilful misuse of p false or frivolous complaints. discretion which leads to de- Accepting some key rec- monstrable loss to the gov-g ommendations of a Parlia- ernment or demonstrable mentary Committee which ggain to the ppublic servant or scrutinised the Public Inter- any third party. est Disclosure and Protec- The definition of compe- tion to Persons Makingg the tent authority to which a Disclosures Bill, 2010, the complaint can be made has government had moved also been expanded. — PTI