Singh: Safe?

Lucknow, March 29: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly today passed a bill to bail out Amar Singh, who is facing disqualification from the Rajya Sabha for holding an office of profit.

The Uttar Pradesh Development Council (Amendment) Bill changes the status of the council from a government-owned body to an autonomous organisation with retrospective effect from October 15, 2003, when it was set up.

A complaint against Amar, who is chairman of the council, is pending before the Election Commission. It seeks his disqualification as MP on the ground that he holds an office of profit under the government.

Jaya Bachchan, another Samjwadi Party MP, was the first to be disqualified for holding an office of profit.

As the bill was passed, chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said the council has never been an office of profit, except in the technical sense of the term, as it was an advisory body.

Industrial development minister Khwaja Haleem, who moved the bill, said the council had attracted investment proposals worth Rs 33,000 crore since 2003.

However, the Opposition, especially the BJP, opposed the amendment, saying it was timed to rescue the Samajwadi Party general secretary.

The bill says all payments to the council’s office-bearers would henceforth be treated as reimbursements and, therefore, not come under office of profit.

Governor T.V. Rajeswar gave his assent last week.

But experts were divided over whether the bill will save Amar, who has already enjoyed the benefits of being the council chairman for the last three years.

“It is difficult for independent experts to offer reprieve to a person who has already enjoyed some benefits. If the rape law is relaxed tomorrow, will one facing charges for the last five years claim the privilege of being tried under the new law?” asked Santosh Lal, a senior advocate and a constitutional expert.

However, a spokesman in the office of the advocate-general said the comparison was flawed because laws for the council are substantially different from rape laws.