Minority education commission can't have judicial powers: BJP

New Delhi, Mar 10: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Mar 10, 2006) strongly opposed in the Lok Sabha the Government's move to give judicial powers to the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions.

Initiating the discussion on National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2006, Mr Bachi Singh Rawat (BJP) said the proposal would deal a body blow to the judicial system in the country.

The amendment, already passed by the Rajya Sabha, was against the spirit of judicial procedure and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution. The commission's verdicts should be appealable in a court of law, he contended.

Earlier, moving a statutory resolution seeking disapproval of the Bill, Mr Prabodh Panda (CPI) said he was not against the provisions of the proposed legislation, but did not approve the government taking the ordinance route first to enact the law.

Mr Madhusudan Mistry (Cong) said the BJP was in the habit of opposing all the measures for the welfare of minorities dubbing them as ''appeasement.'' Despite several schemes, the economic and social status of minorities still remained unsatisfactory, he said.

UNI