"Congress leader Rasheed Masood" became the "first MP to lose his seat" after the Supreme Court struck down a provision that protects a convicted lawmaker from disqualification on the ground of pendency of appeal in higher courts.
Minister of Health Masood, in the VP Singh government between 1990 and 1991, was held guilty of fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates to MBBS seats allotted to Tripura, in medical colleges across the country from the central pool. Special CBI Judge J P S Malik held Masood guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery).
The notification formally announcing a vacancy in the Rajya Sabha following Masood's disqualification was issued by Rajya Sabha Secretary General Shumsher K Sheriff,has been sent to the Election Commission for necessary action.
The notification formally announcing a vacancy in the Rajya Sabha following Masood's disqualification was issued by Rajya Sabha Secretary General Shumsher K Sheriff,has been sent to the Election Commission for necessary action.
RJD's Lok Sabha MPs Lalu Prasad and Jagdish Sharma, both convicted in the fodder scam, are set to be formally disqualified as the Lok Sabha secretariat is likely to follow suit.
On July 10 Supreme Court had given a judgement that struck down sub-section 4 of Section 8 of Representation of the People Act, under which incumbent MPs, MLAs and MLCs can avoid disqualification till pendency of the appeal against conviction in a higher court, within three months of the conviction.
Seeking to negate the SC verdict,the UPA government had introduced a Bill in Parliament in the Monsoon session, but due to opposition from the opposition parties, the bill could not be passed till the end of Monsoon session . An ordinance on the lines of the bill was later cleared by the Union Cabinet on September 24 to protect convicted lawmakers.
President Pranab Mukherjee had also questioned the government's decision on the ordinance . But subsequently, reversing its earlier step, the Cabinet on October 2 decided to withdraw the Ordinance as well as Bill in the wake of public outburst against it by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
President Pranab Mukherjee had also questioned the government's decision on the ordinance . But subsequently, reversing its earlier step, the Cabinet on October 2 decided to withdraw the Ordinance as well as Bill in the wake of public outburst against it by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
Attorney General G E Vahanvati has recently told the Lok Sabha Secretariat that notification declaring the seats vacant should be issued immediately. Vahanvati reminded for the second time in two weeks on the same subject, and made it clear that an MP stands disqualified the day he or she is convicted by a court and the notification announcing vacancy in seat should be done "immediately". He has also warned that any delay in issuing notification could mean non-compliance of a Supreme Court order.
INDIA HONEST could not understand why this delay in sending the notice to the Election Commission, when the deck has been turned down on the three convicted MP's of Congress and the ally RJD.
Is Congress hoping for some last minute miracle to save them. It taste bad in the election year, when this UPA government being involved in so many cases and they failed to pass a Jan Lokpal Bill in time.
Is Congress hoping for some last minute miracle to save them. It taste bad in the election year, when this UPA government being involved in so many cases and they failed to pass a Jan Lokpal Bill in time.