In a significant move, the Bihar Assembly on Tuesday passed the Anti-Corruption Bill, named as “Bihar Special Court Bill-2009”.

After getting the nod of the Upper House and the Governor and approval of the Centre on certain clauses, the Bill would take the shape of an Act.

The Act will help the government to check corruption by pursuing cases against corrupt officials in the special courts through speedy trial. Besides serving public servants and Peoples Representatives, the retired government employees would also come under its purview.

The state government in consultation with the Patna High Court and judicial officers would set up these special courts. These Special Courts would be open to any one with credible information

Speaking on this, Ramnath Thakur, Minister for Law, Public Information and PR said, “The bill aims to control corruption and hit those involved in corruption.”

During his Vikas Yatra, organised in January-February in Bihar, CM Nitish Kumar said that corruption has been a giant barrier in the progress of the state. Kumar has sought people's cooperation in the fight against corruption.

The Bihar Special Court Bill-2009 has also made provisions for trial of the All-India Service Officers serving under the state government.

Under the existing rules and law, IAS and IPS officers had the immunity of being prosecuted by the state government only after getting the prosecution sanction from their parent department (Union government’s Personnel and Home Department) and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). But once the Bihar Special Court Act comes into force, this immunity will become a thing of the past.

Apart from the anti-corruption bill, two more bills - Bihar Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, 2009, and Bihar Cooperative Society Amendment Bill, 2009 – were also passed in the Bihar assembly on Tuesday.