The Hindu : Front Page : Kalam sends back Office of Profit Bill

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Kalam sends back Office of Profit Bill

Vinay Kumar

Asks Parliament to reconsider it

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

NEW DELHI: In a setback to the United Progressive Alliance Government, President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on Tuesday returned the controversial Office of Profit Bill, passed by Parliament in the Budget session that ended on May 23.

The Bill was sent to the President on May 25 for assent and since then he held discussions with a number of top legal and judicial experts.

Sources said that besides obtaining their views, he personally studied the Bill.

While asking the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to reconsider the Bill, the President wanted Parliament to look into the legal propriety of the Bill's applicability with retrospective effect.

Mr. Kalam said the Bill's focus should be on evolving a comprehensive criterion, which would be just, fair and reasonable, and applied across all States and Union Territories in a clear and transparent manner.

The President wanted Parliament to study the implications of including the offices in relation to which petitions for disqualification are already under process by the competent authority. Exercising his power under Article 111 of the Constitution, the President said Parliament should reconsider the Bill in the light of settled interpretation of Article 102.

The Bill did not witness a smooth passage in Parliament, as the Opposition parties expressed reservations. The enactment of the law capped two months of controversy following disqualification of Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan from the Rajya Sabha on the ground that she held an office of profit in Uttar Pradesh and the resignation of Congress president Sonia Gandhi from the Lok Sabha after facing a disqualification petitition.

Manmohan to meet Kalam

PTI reports:

Official sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would meet the President on Wednesday on the issue.

The sources said the Government is likely to reintroduce the Bill in the coming monsoon session. ``First, the Cabinet has to consider the message sent by the President to the Government for reconsideration of the Bill by Parliament,'' they said.

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