'CVC has no powers at all and has a total strength of 100-150 people. It just has an advisory role. What we need today is a Lokpal (ombudsman),' Kejriwal said.

Bhushan criticised the CVC also for not taking proper steps in cases of whistle blowers.

'CVC has got several hundred complaints under the whistle blower protection notification. But it appears that in virtually none of these cases, has the CVC recommended any serious action against any senior officers complained against,' he said.

'To add on to the woes, in a large number of cases, the whistle blower was subjected to severe victimisation by way of charge sheets, suspensions and transfers,' he added.

According to their analyses, as a result of the CVC inaction, the whistle blower complaints have been regularly coming down.

The number of whistle blower complaints received by CVC in 2006, 2007 and 2008 are 338, 328 and 276 respectively.

Bhushan and Kejriwal, accompanied by former ambassador Madhu Bhaduri and former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) V.K. Shunglu, demanded that the government should free appointments to the CVC from influence of those likely to be the subject of the CVC's anti-corruption exercise and also put in place a system of selection which guarantees transparency and some degree of public participation.