With the time running out, as Lok Sabha was to be declared adjourned sine a die on Friday only, the House rushed through a range of legislations including Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill and Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill either after a brief or without discussion.
Lok Sabha passed a bill that maintains the right of those in jail to contest polls, with the government saying the court verdict was wrong and the Legislature has Constitutional duty to correct it.
The Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 was rushed through in the House and passed within about 15 minutes after a brief discussion.
Some members wanted an elaborate debate on the bill but the overwhelming majority of the House, including Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, pushed for its passage even without discussion.
The Bill negates the July 10 order of the Supreme Court, which held that those in jail cannot vote as per RP Act and hence cannot qualify for contesting elections to Parliament or state legislatures.
Rajya Sabha had already passed the Bill on August 27.
Moving the bill for consideration and passage, law minister Kapil Sibal said, “The Supreme Court is right because it is final, it is not right because it is right.”
The bill seeking to prohibit employment of individuals as manual scavengers and providing for rehabilitation of those involved in this work and their families through jobs and other provisions was also passed by the Lok Sabha after a brief discussion.
Minister for social justice and empowerment Kumari Selja moved the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012 in the Lok Sabha.