SC grants two weeks to Centre to respond

Bew Delhi, Jan 25 (UNI) The Supreme Court today granted two weeks time to the Union government to respond to a PIL chalenging the new Act enforced by the government for taking out a large number of offices from the purview of Office of Profit and also to make the provisions applicable with prospective effective.

A bench comprising Chiaef Justice K. G. B Alakrishnan and Justices Altamas Kabir and D K Jain also granted one week's time to the petitioner Dinesh Diwedi to file his rejoinder thereafter.

The petitioner in his petition had alleged that the impugned Act was solely aimed at protecting ans shielding politicians from the purview of the definition of office of profit so that offenders do not loss their membership of Parliament or that of state legislature.

The new Act was brought in following disqualification of Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha Member Jaya Bachchan and later on resignation by Congress President Sonia Gandhi from her Lok Sabha seat as well as chairperson of the National Advisory Council after allegations that the Congress Supremo was holding office of profit.

At least over 60 offices have been taken out from the list of offices of profit.

About 42 MPs and over 200 MLAs are facing axe for holding office of profit and complaints against them are pending with the Election Commission of India.

Both Jaya Bachchan and Sonia Gandhi have since been re-elected from their respective constituencies in UP. Jaya as the chairperson of the UP Film Development Council, when she was disqualified and her appeal was dismissed by the apex court.

UNI