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Saturday, September 07, 2013

Bill passed, jailed can contest poll

 Negating a Supreme Court order, Parliament passed a Bill that maintains the right of those in jail to contest polls, with the government saying that the court verdict was wrong and the Legislature has Constitutional duty to correct it.
The Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 was rushed through in the Lok Sabha on 6.9.2013  within 15 minutes after a brief discussion.
Some members wanted an elaborate debate on the Bill but the overwhelming majority of the House, including Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, pushed for its passage even without discussion.
Rajya Sabha had already passed the Bill on August 27.

Big relief for jailed politicos contest poll
The Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013, which negates the Supreme Court order barring jailed politicians, was rushed through in the Lok Sabha and passed within about 15 minutes after a brief discussion.
The Bill negates the July 10 order of the Supreme Court which held that those in jail cannot vote as per RP Act and hence cannot qualify for contesting elections to Parliament or state  legislatures.The Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on August 27.
Moving the bill for consideration and passage, law minister Kapil Sibal said, “The Supreme Court is right because it is final, it is not right because it is right.” 
Meanwhile, a Bill seeking to prohibit employment of individuals as manual scavengers and providing for rehabilitation of those involved in this work and their families through jobs and other provisions was also passed by the Lok Sabha after a brief discussion. It was introduced by minister for social justice and empowerment Kumari Selja.

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