The Hindu : Sangma quits Statute panel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 09, 2002

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Sangma quits Statute panel

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI MARCH 8. The former Lok Sabha Speaker and Member of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, P.A. Sangma, today resigned from the commission. In his letter to the Chairman, Justice M.N. Venkatachalaiah, Mr. Sangma said he had submitted a note suggesting constitutional amendment to exclude persons "who are not natural born citizens of India from access to high constitutional positions''.

He said "I had hoped that this committee of eminent jurists and other experienced persons would give consideration to the matter objectively without regard to cases of personalities involved, be they past or future. Regretfully, I had failed in my hope''.

Elaborating further, Mr. Sangma said though the note was discussed in detail, opinion on the matter was sharply divided and voting (to take up the matter or not) resulted in a tie — five for and five against. He said "as Chairman you opted not to exercise the casting vote and the result is that my suggestion stands turned down and status quo (not to take up the matter) continues. This result is the same if you had exercised your casting vote against my suggestion''.

Mr. Sangma said the reasoning that weighed with the members for not supporting his suggestion was that "it might appear that a particular individual is being targeted''.

Clarifying this aspect, he said "the issue was not one of personalities but of principle of excluding those who are not natural born citizens of the country from all high constitutional positions — offices of head of State, head of Government, Governor, Chief Minister, Judges of Supreme Court and High Court, Attorney General, Advocate General etc.''

He was of the view that "maintenance of status quo also appears to smack of protecting an individual. In the circumstances, I find my continuance in the Committee has become untenable'', he said and forwarded a copy of the letter to the Government of India.

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