Govt may not alter Office of Profit Bill

New Delhi: The Government sees no reason to make any change in the Office of Profit Bill, returned by President A P J Abdul Kalam.

The Centre is likely to introduce it in the same form in Parliament during the Monsoon session, official sources said on Monday.

The Bill will be brought before the Union Cabinet for its clearance soon after the dates for the Monsoon session are announced, sources said.

The session is likely to be held in the second half of July.

"The Government thinks that the Bill should be re-introduced in Parliament in the same form and feels there is no reason to change anything in it," saources said when asked if some alterations would be made in the backdrop of the President's suggestions.

The President had on May 30 returned the Bill for reconsideration by both the Houses for a "comprehensive and generic" criteria. He also wanted that the criteria should be "fair and reasonable" and applicable in a "clear and transparent" manner across all the states and union territories.

Another point on which the President had voiced reservation in his communication to both Houses was about the propriety of applying the law with retrospective effect.

He wanted this to be considered afresh.

The Parliament Prevention of Disqualification Amendment Bill 2006, passed by both Houses in the second half of the Budget session last month, had exempted 56 posts including that of Chairperson of National Advisory Council, an office earlier held by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The enactment of the law giving benefit to personalities across the political spectrum had capped two months of controversy following disqualification of cine-star Jaya Bachchan and the resignation of Sonia Gandhi, who faced a disqualification petition.

Both Houses had passed the Bill after due consideration, amending a 1959 law to bring certain offices for exemption under it, the sources said.

On the objection of the President on the Bill being applied with retrospective effect, they said there was nothing new in it since several measures in the past have had such clauses.

Sources said several court verdicts had laid down that a Bill could be amended with retropective effect.

On whether there was any bar on the Election Commission, which was examining petitions seeking disqualification of MPs and MLAs, to take action in the interim period, they said the Commission was a Constitutional authority and the Government had no no say in its functioning.

Many of the disqualification petitions before the Commission had not not furnished details on what grounds action should be initiated against the legislators and the panel was seeking information from the complainants, they added.