The years 2010–11 witnessed tumultuous civil rights campaigns against the deeply-embedded corruption in Indian society and politics. The advent of social activist Anna Hazare and his India Against Corruption (IAC), ably supported by social activists and lawyers, gave rise to a civil society agitation of a kind unprecedented in the history of independent India.
Anna and the Lokpal Bill, 2010–2018, the second of Rajeev Dhavan’s two-volume history of the Lokpal Bill in India, provides detailed discussions and analyses of the events of these years, and the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government that followed.
In 2011, as the issue of corruption and the Lokpal as a remedy became a national campaign attracting overwhelming support across the country, both the UPA government and the Opposition found themselves on the defensive. A special session of Parliament was called, pledging support to Anna in the form of a parliamentary resolution, and versions of the Lokpal Bill were debated and discussed in both Houses of Parliament and special committees. However, in 2012, the Anna movement changed its course and lost momentum, resulting in a severely truncated Lokpal Bill.
The book also asks: What is civil society? What is its relationship with political society? What should be the aims of both civil and political society; and why were those in power so afraid of the ‘crowd’?
Rajeev Dhavan is a Senior Advocate practising in the Supreme Court of India. As a lawyer-academic, he has written extensively on the Constitution, governance and public affairs. For his website, see www. rajeevdhavan.com.
List of Abbreviations Preface Acknowledgements Publisher’s Acknowledgements
PART I: CIVIL SOCIETY : CHAPTER I Civil Society and its Discontents A Million Mutinie Defining Civil Society Civil Society through Legal Eyes The Great Surrender Civil Society as Struggle The Struggle over Ideology Civil Disobedience Civil Society and its Discontents The Crowd Media Civil Society Forever
PART II: ADVENT OF ANNA HAZARE : CHAPTER II Knowing Anna Hazare Who Wants a Lokpal? Governance and its Discontents: Anna as Threat? Institutionalised Democratic Governance
PART III: THE CIVIL SOCIETY ALTERNATIVE (2010) : CHAPTER III Lokpal and ‘Jan’ Lokpal The Government Lokpal Bill of 2010 Reaction to the Government Lokpal Bill of 2010 Jan Lokpal Bills Draft Jan Lokpal Bill of 2010 (Version 1.8) Jan Lokpal Bill of 2011 (Version 2.1) Jan Lokpal Bill of 2011 (Version 2.2) Jan Lokpal Bill of 2011 (Version 2.3)
PART IV: THE VOICE OF DISSENT (2011) : CHAPTER IV The Lokpal Bill Sleeps A Background (2010–11) Anna’s First Fast Rift within the Joint Committee Proceedings of the Joint Drafting Committee, 16 April–21 June 2011 The Ramdev Controversy The Cabinet Meeting
CHAPTER V Lokpal Bills of 2011 New Drafts Official Bill 2011 Aruna Roy’s Contributions Government’s Grievance Redressal Bill (131 of 2011) CHAPTER VI The August of Kranti Jail Bharo and Anna’s Arrest The Nation Reacts The Prime Minister’s Move The Next Day in Parliament The PM’s Speech in Parliament A ‘Second Freedom Movement’? Finding Solutions ‘Fast’ Negotiations Sense of the House Resolution: Parliament Debates CHAPTER VII Come September and Beyond Other Issues of Contention An October of Controversies November of Clarifications Proceedings of the Standing Committee (48th) Standing Committee’s Report on the Lokpal Bill Points of Contention Parliament Debates the (48th) Committee Report
CHAPTER VIII The Denouement Anna’s Third Fast All-Party Meet Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill of December 2011 The Bill goes to Parliament Parliament Debates, 27 December 2011 The Aftermath In the Rajya Sabha, 29 December 2011 PART V: OVERTURE: PARTING OF WAYS (2012) CHAPTER IX Parting of Ways Beginning of the End Anna meets Baba Ramdev The Fast of 3 June 2012 The 24 July Fast Political Activism Passing the Baton Parting of Ways Aam Aadmi Kejriwal Anna Team 2.0 Kejriwal’s Journey from IAC to AAP Rajya Sabha Select Committee PART VI: ANNA’S LEGACIES (2013–15) CHAPTER X Anna’s Legacies The Lokpal Bill of the Union Anna’s other Legacy: AAP The Constitutional Status of Delhi AAP in the Future Legends and Legacies PART VII: IN CONCLUSION CHAPTER XI Recognising Activism Afterword Inherited Governance Constitutional Absorption Motifs of Governance Lokpal and Governance Success or Failure Index