Political parties are closing ranks to oppose the Supreme Court’s verdict on Wednesday that Members of Parliament and Assemblies will be immediately disqualified on conviction of offences.
The political parties fear misuse of the verdict by Governments to silence their political opponents.
Though none of them do not want to criticise the verdict officially, that too in an election year, they are hoping that the Centre will challenge the order through a review petition in the court. Parties claim that the implementation of the order will not be practical.
“This order could be implemented in an ideal situation where the executive and judiciary are 100 per cent free of corruption,” a senior Opposition leader said.
A recent study by the Association of Democratic Reforms had said that 30 per cent of the MPs and MLAs are facing criminal charges. The political class, however, is maintaining that most of these charges pertain to holding protests against Governments in various States.
A Left leader pointed out an incident here on Tuesday where nine leaders of the Students Federation of India were arrested for protesting in front of the Kerala House demanding the resignation of State Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
“Serious charges under sections 147, 149, 336, 326, 363, 332 and 462 of the Indian Penal Code are imposed on them. This is another instance where the Government can implicate its opponents falsely in criminal cases,” said the leader, who is also a Member of Parliament.
There is a view among certain senior leaders that the judgment has created a constitutional crisis.
“The Government should immediately convene a meeting of all political parties. A joint decision must be taken to challenge the verdict,” said another politician.
The Samajwadi Party has also reportedly taken up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav who met the Prime Minister on Thursday, demanded that the issue should be dealt seriously as it could hamper the independent functioning of political parties.
Mulayam himself is facing several criminal charges, including a case for amassing wealth disproportionate to his income.
The Congress and the BJP have welcomed the verdict officially. BJP said it has always stood for transparency in public life. The Congress said the verdict would help in decriminalising politics.
Party spokesperson Renuka Chowdhary, however, said laws are often misused and people in politics face the flak too.
“So we will have to find out what are the checks,” she said. Sources indicated that the meeting of the Congress core group will discuss the verdict on Friday.