President returns Office of Profit Bill to Parliament

President A P J Abdul Kalam [ Images ] on Tuesday returned the Office of Profit Bill back to Parliament for reconsideration.

• Coverage: The Office of Profit Issue

Official sources said Kalam sent a message to the Government seeking 'comprehensive criteria' for exemption of posts to protect parliamentarians and legislators against disqualification.

The criteria should be fair and reasonable and can be applied across all states and Union Territories in a clear and
transparent manner, he said in his communication while returning the Bill that was passed in the just-concluded Budget session of Parliament.

The other point on which the President is said to have reservation was about the propriety of applying the law with
retrospective effect. He wants this also to be considered afresh, the sources said.

Kalam, who received the Bill on May 25 for assent, took the decision after giving 'careful' thought and wider consultation with judicial and legal experts, the sources said.

The President's move has come as a dampener on the United Progressive Alliance [ Images ] government's efforts to exempt 56 posts, including that of National Advisory Council chairpersonhip, from the definition of office of profit.

With PTI Inputs