Rajasthan Government Buckles Down Under Pressure, Controversial Ordinance Sent to Select Committee

Jaipur, October 24: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has now buckled under the pressure with the controversial immunity bill being sent to the Select Committee on Tuesday. The Congress was up

Updated: October 24, 2017 12:01 PM IST

By India.com News Desk

Rajasthan Government Buckles Down Under Pressure, Controversial Ordinance Sent to Select Committee
वसुंधरा राजे. (फाइल फोटो)

Jaipur, October 24: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has now buckled under the pressure with the controversial immunity bill being sent to the Select Committee on Tuesday. The Congress was up in arms protesting against the tabling of the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance in the state Assembly. The Bill seeks to protect former judges, magistrates and public servants from being investigated without state government’s prior sanction.

On Monday, Raje asked the state minsters to rethink over the controversial ordinance after receiving severe criticism from all quarters. Sources had said that the Chief Minister called a meeting at her residence, which was attended by Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, Rajendra Rathore, BJP State President Ashok Parnami, Yunus Khan and Arun Chaturvedi.

The Rajasthan Government, in the current legislative session, passed an ordinance that protects both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in the state from being investigated for on-duty action without prior sanction.

The ordinance, which provides 180 days immunity to the officers, reads, “No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant.” If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicising in any case the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants.

Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.

Even two Union ministers had defended the bill saying the move was aimed at insulating honest officers and prevent policy paralysis. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the bill was aimed at preventing motivated complaints. His junior minister PP Chaudhary said the idea was not to defend the corrupt or wrong-doers, but to ensure that honest judges, magistrates and public servants were not harassed.

With inputs from Agencies

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