Ending uncertainty over the procedure to notify the disqualification of convicted MPs Lalu Prasad and Jagdish Sharma, the Attorney-General has told the Lok Sabha Secretariat to immediately issue the notification declaring the seats vacant.
Giving his opinion for the second time in two weeks on the same subject, G. E. Vahanvati has made it clear that an MP stands disqualified the day he or she is convicted by a court and the notification announcing vacancy in seat should be done immediately.
He has also warned that any delay in issuing notification could mean non-compliance of a Supreme Court order.
The country’s top law officer has made it clear that the notification should be issued by the concerned House.
In his earlier opinion, Vahanvati has said the MP stands disqualified immediately. But his opinion was silent on the procedure to be followed for issuing notification.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat had approached him again to clarify on the procedure.
On the other hand, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has already set in motion the process to declare the seat of Congress MP Rasheed Masood, who was convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment in a graft case last month.