New Delhi: The central government is preparing to introduce a revised bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament that would automatically remove ministers, Chief Ministers, or the Prime Minister from office if they remain in detention for 30 days, according to reports.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Bill in August last year, and a 31-member parliamentary panel chaired by BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi was formed to examine it. Sources stated that the Joint Parliamentary Committee is likely to approve the revised draft during its meeting on July 17.
The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill provides that if a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or other ministers are detained in custody for 30 consecutive days due to serious criminal charges, they will be automatically removed from their respective posts.
This bill is facing significant opposition as members of the Congress-led INDIA bloc allege that it is politically motivated and aimed at targeting non-NDA state governments. Most members of the panel from the INDIA opposition bloc, including from the Congress, boycotted the proceedings, arguing that participation was pointless as the ruling party would override the opposition's concerns and use the panel as a rubber stamp to clear the Bill.
Members of the panel belonging to the ruling coalition, it is learnt, rejected the opposition's argument that the provisions in the proposed law are undemocratic, anti-federal and contradict the bedrock principle of natural justice by punishing public representatives purely based on custody rather than conviction. Conversely, the treasury benches argue that 30 days are enough to seek bail at least thrice and, therefore, the legislation does not violate the principle of natural justice.
Since passing this bill requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament, the BJP-led government faces a challenge in securing the necessary support, especially for its approval in the Rajya Sabha.