Press Trust of India Posted online: Friday, August 16, 2002 at 1750 hours IST
New Delhi, August 16: Union Cabinet on Friday approved the promulgation of an ordinance on electoral reforms seeking to curb criminalisation of politics, an official spokesperson said.
At its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, it approved the proposal to amend the Act by promulgating the ordinance under Article 123 of the Constitution, the spokesperson said.
It also approved the issuing of notification for amending of the nomination forms under the conduct of election rules. The legislation to amend the Representation of People's Act, on the basis of a consensus among all parties, could not be tabled in Parliament due to the premature end of the monsoon session on August 12 as the proceedings were paralysed over the petrol pump allotment issue.
Two rounds of meetings of all parties had unanimously rejected the contentious clause in the draft electoral reforms Bill to bar persons against whom charges have been framed in two cases of heinous crime from contesting elections.
Following the unanimity of opinion expressed by all political parties, the provision of disqualification of candidates being chargesheeted or charged of criminal offence was dropped.
The parties also unanimously decided that every elected member would have to file his assets and liabilities to the Lok Sabha Speaker and Chairman of Rajya Sabha. The proposed ordinance is vital for the Jammu and Kashmir elections scheduled for September-October this year. The Bill to replace this ordinance would be introduced in the next session of Parliament, an official spokesperson said.
