NEW DELHI: The Joint Committee of Parliament examining bills on removal jof Prime Minister and Chief Ministers detained on serious charges, decided to defer the adoption of a draft report. When the committee was voting on each of the recommendations separately, it was decided that more consultations with stakeholders and discussions among members were required. The joint committee on 130th Amendment Bill had made the five recommendations in its draft report which was circulated to members recently.
AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule had submitted their dissent notes but withdrew them after the panel decided to defer the adoption in the last minute. Most opposition parties had opted out of the joint committee examining the bill. “The joint parliamentary committee unanimously said that we needed more consultations with stakeholders,” said panel chief Aparajita Sarangi (BJP).
Members present in the meeting said voting on two of the recommendations was already done and discussions were underway on the third when the decision was taken to defer the adoption of the draft report. Incidentally, a few ruling party members had also voted against the first two recommendations. These were adopted with majority votes.
The panel had recommended that the prime minister, Union ministers and chief ministers be suspended and not permanently removed from their posts, if they are detained for 30 straight days on charges of serious offences — pending the outcome of legal proceedings.
It also proposed an automatic reversal clause if such persons are acquitted or the prosecution does not proceed within a specified period.
It had proposed that the term “serious criminal offences” as mentioned in the statement of objectives and reasons of the bill may be defined as “…serious criminal offences which are punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years or more”.
Sarangi said the government brought the bill with the intent to stop corruption and to prevent criminalisation of politics. “This is a national cause. There should be unanimity in thought and expression,” she said. She said all parties must come together for something which is good for the nation.
Introduced last August, the bill seeks to automatically remove the prime minister, ministers or chief ministers on the 31st day of their detention if they don’t step down on their own. The Opposition had dubbed the bill a tool to destabilise governments run by them. The draft report had also defined serious criminal offences, saying the term should refer to offences punishable with imprisonment of up to five years or more.