SC dismisses petition seeking guidelines to enter RS

New Delhi, May 9 (UNI) The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition urging to lay down some guidelines to check the entry of big business and industrial houses to Rajya Sabha through horse-trading and other malpractices including use of money bags.

A bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and P Sadhasivam told the petitioner Citizens Constitutional Prerogative to approach the appropriate authorities or the Parliamentarians for the redressal of his grievance.

The petitioner has prayed to the apex court to settle the law as to what would constitute a free and fair Rajya Sabha election - so as to ensure that people's mandate and concept of federalism was not exploited and an effective representation of the states' interest in the Rajya Sabha and countermanding of Rajya Sabha election vitiated by unfair practices.

The petitioner has also contended that industrial houses and the corporate sector indulge in silent usurpation of people's right to be represented by the people of their own state. Hung assemblies and lack of a proper mandate in Indian Democratic scenario has resulted in large business houses buying their way into the Rajya Sabha by cornering independent MLAs and by engineering splits in political parties by luring MLAs to defy the party whips.

The petitioner also told the court that the requirement of permanent domicile status to be elected to Rajya Sabha has already been done away with.

The apex court, however, told the petitioner that it could not help him as it was the job of the Parliament to make laws to check malpractices.

UNI SC GL RP KN1717