Union law and justice minister Kapil Sibal on Friday said the government is working on a proposal to prevent the entry of criminals into politics even as a bill to prevent immediate disqualification of legislators upon conviction is pending in Parliament.
The law minister said he was trying to build a consensus within Congress for “steps to put appropriate barriers in place” which would prevent criminals from entering politics.
“We want to take steps to reduce the prospect of criminals entering politics. People who are charged with very serious criminal offences should be prevented from entering politics,” Mr Sibal said.
He termed the passage of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill in Parliament as his “top priority”.
“I am willing to give CJI constitutional status as the head of the JAC in the Constitutional Amendment Bill once it comes to Lok Sabha,” he said. The Bill has been passed by the Rajya Sabha.
He said political parties, despite their majority in both Houses of Parliament, can never remove the CJI as the head of the proposed JAC. “The courts would not allow that to happen. This is speculation. You never know, when I go to Lok Sabha with the bill, the Opposition may raise another issue. These are all roadblocks,” he said.