Ordinance protecting convicted MPs, MLAs may be dumped
New Delhi: The government may be all set to withdraw the controversial ordinance on convicted lawmakers with the Congress Core Group poring over the matter in the wake of Rahul Gandhi's denunciation of the Cabinet
Armed with the Core Group opinion, the Prime Minister called on President Pranab Mukherjee, who left on a two-nation tour in the afternoon, to apprise him of the government's thinking on the issue.
The Union Cabinet meeting in the evening is expected to take a call on the issue that may seal the fate of the ordinance that seeks to protect MPs and MLAs from immediate disqualification in case of conviction by a court of law.
The Cabinet cleared the ordinance after a July 10 Supreme Court order struck down a section in the Representation of the People Act which gave a three-month breather to lawmakers to approach a higher court for appeal after conviction and continue to hold the post.
All pros and cons were discussed in the Core Group and a decision was left to the Union Cabinet which is meeting in the evening, highly placed party sources said after the hour-long meeting headed by Sonia Gandhi.
The Union Cabinet meeting in the evening is expected to take a call on the issue that may seal the fate of the ordinance that seeks to protect MPs and MLAs from immediate disqualification in case of conviction by a court of law.
The Cabinet cleared the ordinance after a July 10 Supreme Court order struck down a section in the Representation of the People Act which gave a three-month breather to lawmakers to approach a higher court for appeal after conviction and continue to hold the post.
All pros and cons were discussed in the Core Group and a decision was left to the Union Cabinet which is meeting in the evening, highly placed party sources said after the hour-long meeting headed by Sonia Gandhi.