Bringing the curtains down on the disqualification petitions against several MPs including Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, the Election Commission is understood to have rejected the complaints against them that they held offices-of-profit.
The EC's opinion on the 13 MPs, including three ministers, comes nearly three weeks after President APJ Abdul Kalam gave his assent on a legislation which exempted more than 50 posts from being considered offices-of-profit.
The "first batch" of opinion concerning these MPs was sent to the President by the Commission on Saturday.
However, the Commission was yet to give its opinion on complaints against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram on the charge that as Trustees of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation they were holding offices-of-profit.
EC sources had earlier indicated that most of the petitions may be rejected in the light of Parliament passing an amendment to the law exempting some offices from disqualification.
Besides Chatterjee, who is also Chairman of the Santiniketan-Sriniketan Development Board, opinion has been sent with respect of SP leader Amar Singh, who is Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Development Council, Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar and Meira Kumar.
EC has also sent its opinion with respect to Hannan Mollah, Amitava Nandi, Sudhanshu Sil, Bansagopal Chowdhury, Lakshman Seth, Matilal Sarkar (all CPI-M) and Anuradha Chowdhury (RLD).
{{/usCountry}}EC has also sent its opinion with respect to Hannan Mollah, Amitava Nandi, Sudhanshu Sil, Bansagopal Chowdhury, Lakshman Seth, Matilal Sarkar (all CPI-M) and Anuradha Chowdhury (RLD).
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