THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 26, 2016- Topic 1
By admonishing the Union
government for delaying the appointment of a Lokpal, the Supreme Court has sent
across a timely message that efforts to cleanse the economy must be matched by
equally strong measures to cleanse public life too. There can really be no excuse
for the failure to establish an institution even three years after passing the
relevant law. The only reason for the delay in the appointment of the Lokpal is
that a minor amendment to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, to enable the
leader of the largest party in the opposition in the Lok Sabha to join the
five-member selection committee, is yet to be passed. A parliamentary committee
has endorsed the amendment, which is on the same lines as the mechanism for the
selection panels for the Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Chief
Information Commissioner. The court has indicated that it will not allow the
institution to remain inoperative indefinitely, evoking apprehension on the
Centre’s part that a judicial direction may be given to get the amendment
passed or an ordinance promulgated. The Centre needs to re-examine its own
options on implementing the Lokpal Act. The law now provides for a five-member
panel to select the anti-corruption ombudsman, comprising the Prime Minister,
the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of India
and an eminent jurist. The hitch is that there is no recognised LoP in the
lower House. The question now is whether the Centre is right in claiming the
Congress floor leader cannot hold that post because its bench strength is well
short of the required 55.
The rule that the Speaker
can recognise as LoP only the leader of the principal opposition party that has
10 per cent of the total number of Lok Sabha seats is based on precedent. It
was a ruling by Speaker G.V. Mavalankar, cited in the ‘Directions for the
Functioning of the Lok Sabha’, with respect to recognising a group as a
‘parliamentary party’. The only legal provision defining the ‘Leader of the
Opposition’ is a 1977 law concerning the office-holder’s salary. The definition
says the LoP shall be the leader of the party in opposition with “the greatest
numerical strength” and “recognised as such by the Speaker”. Therefore, there
is nothing in law that prevents the Speaker from recognising the present
Congress Parliamentary Party leader as the LoP. Instead of waiting for the
amendment, the Speaker can adopt the solution of recognising the CPP leader and
expedite the Lokpal’s formation. It just needs political will and some
magnanimity.
Vocabulary
Admonish: warn or reprimand someone firmly.
Example: She admonished me for appearing at breakfast unshaven
Synonyms: reprimand, rebuke, scold, reprove, reproach, upbraid, chastise
Cleanse: make something, especially the skin thoroughly clean.
Example: This preparation will cleanse and tighten the skin
Synonyms: clean
(up), wash, bathe, rinse, disinfect
Relevant: closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand.
Example: The candidate's experience is relevant to the job
Synonyms: pertinent, applicable, apposite, material, apropos, to
the point
Endorsed: declare one's public approval or support of.
Example: The report was endorsed by the college
Synonyms: countersign, sign, autograph, authenticate, chirographate
Inoperative: not working or taking effect.
Example: The telescope is substantially inoperative due to an equipment failure
Synonyms: defective, out of
order, out of service, down, unserviceable
Evoking: bring or recall to the conscious mind.
Example: The sight of American asters evokes pleasant memories of childhood
Ombudsman: an official appointed to investigate individuals' complaints against
maladministration, especially that of public authorities.
Example: These failures in human communication feature in many of the complaints
investigated by the ombudsman 's office.
Precedent: preceding in time, order, or importance.
Example: A precedent case
Synonyms: model, exemplar, previous case, prior instance/example
Magnanimity: the fact or condition of being magnanimous; generosity.
Example: Both sides will have to show magnanimity