Swamy asks Raje to withdraw her 'ill fated gag bill'

October 24, 2017 08:35

Rajya Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy has called the Rajasthan government's controversial order as an "ill-fated gag bill" and urged Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to take back the bill, which wastabled in the legislative assembly on Monday.

"I urge Vasundara to take back her ill fated Gag Bill. It is a sterile exercise&receive a rap from SC when the apex court strikes it down," Swamy said on Twitter.

The ordinance put out last month by the Raje government prohibits investigation without prior sanction against "a judge or a magistrate or a public servant" for any "act done by them while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of their official duties".

Besides, it also prohibits the media from reporting on the accusation against such a person until the prosecution gets the approval from the sanctioning authority, which may take up to six months.

It also makes it a crime to identify the minister, lawmaker or official against whom a complaint has been filed in the court.

The bill is facing strong opposition from the Congress with the state party president Sachin Pilot alleging, "The state government is trying to safeguard the interest of people through whom they conduct corruption scandals in Rajasthan."

Photograph: PTI Photo

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