The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday passed the Office of Profit Bill excluding some posts held by elected members of the house from disqualification and empowering the government to notify other offices to bring under its purview.
Deputy chief minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig, who moved the Bill, said the chairmen of various corporations holding the status of a minister were never under the ambit of the office of profit specified by the Supreme Court.
He said the Bill is 'declaratory in nature' and the state legislature has full power of making laws with retrospective effect other than that of panel nature.
As many as 10 members of the Assembly were appointed as chairmen of various corporations with the rank of minister of state by the coalition government in 2004.
He said corporation chairmen are by no means deemed to be disqualified as such organisations do not come under the ambit of the office of profit since they enjoy autonomous or statutory powers.
Baig said the state bill provided for declaring 26 posts out of the ambit of office of profit against the 69 declared by the union act. The bill was passed by voice vote after incorporation of word 'vice chairman', an amendment moved by Panters Party MLA Harsh Dev Singh.
{{/usCountry}}Baig said the state bill provided for declaring 26 posts out of the ambit of office of profit against the 69 declared by the union act. The bill was passed by voice vote after incorporation of word 'vice chairman', an amendment moved by Panters Party MLA Harsh Dev Singh.
{{/usCountry}}