Date:06/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/06/stories/2006090609001200.htm

National

Saradgi to head office of profit JPC

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Karnataka's Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi has been appointed the chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee to suggest a comprehensive definition of `office of profit.'

The Committee consists of 10 Lok Sabha MPs — Gulbarga MP Mr. Saradgi, V. Kishore Chandra S. Deo, Madhusudan Mistry (all Congress), Santosh Gangwar, Satyanarayan Jatiya (Bharatiya Janata Party), Raghunath Jha (Rashtriya Janata Dal), A. Krishnaswamy (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Mohammad Salim (Communist Party of India-Marxist), Rajesh Verma (Bahujan Samaj Party) and Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), a Lok Sabha bulletin said.

The 5 Rajya Sabha members are Virendra Bhatia (SP), Arun Jaitley (BJP), Ram Jethmalani (Independent), Abhishek Manu Singhvi (Congress) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M).

The Committee has been formed in pursuance of a resolution adopted by both Houses of Parliament last month and as per the terms of reference it shall examine, in the context of settled interpretation of the expression, `office of profit' in Article 102 of the Constitution and the underlying constitutional principles therein, and to suggest a comprehensive definition of the term.

It would recommend, in relation to `office of profit', the evolution of generic and comprehensive criteria which are just, fair and reasonable and can be applied to all States and Union Territories; examine the feasibility of adoption of system of law relating to prevention of disqualification of Members of Parliament as existing in the United Kingdom and considered by the Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976; and examine any other matter incidental to the above.