Bills for ousting ministers held for more than 30 days

THE LEGISLATIONS SUGGEST THAT A DISMISSED CM, PM OR MINISTER CAN BE APPOINTED AGAIN AFTER THEIR RELEASE FROM CUSTODY

- Saubhadra Chatterji and Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Union home minister Amit Shah is set to introduce three major bills in the Lok Sabha on ‘Wednesday, proposing that a sitting minister, chief minister or even the Prime Minister can lose their position within a month if they are arrested or detained for 30 consecutive days over an offence that carries a jail term of five years or more.

The list of government business in the Lok Sabha showed that the Centre will introduce three bills — The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill and The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill-in the Lower House on Wednesday.

The list of government business also mentioned the consideration of a motion to send the bills to a joint parliamentary committee after introduction.

The three bills propose an entirely new legal framework that will be applicable to ministers and CMs in states and Union territories such as Jammu & Kashmir, and Union ministers and the PM at the Centre. To be sure, the bills suggest that a dismissed minister, CM or PM can be appointed again after their release from custody.