To Amend Or Not To Amend Office Of Profit Bill

New Delhi, May 31 (UNI) The Union Cabinet will decide whether or not to amend an office of profit Bill President A P J Abdul Kalam returned citing reservations, Law and Justice Minister Hans Raj Bhardwaj said in an interview aired today.

The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill was returned by Kalam who raised questions about criteria on which it sought to exempt MPs occupying offices of profit as well as the retrospective nature of the exemption.

Commenting on the development, Bhardwaj said in an interview on CNN-IBN that the Cabinet would decide on whether to bring the Bill to Parliament in its present form or after amending it.

Bhardwaj said the government would ''respectfully reconsider'' the Bill and a Cabinet meeting would decide whether to reprocess it in its present form or after amending it.

UNI MJ LR VP2335