Ordinance promulgation on Friday

The opposition alleged that the move is a ploy to protect Sonia Gandhi.

Government would promulgate an ordinance on Friday to identify some posts as office of non profit, a move the opposition alleged is a ploy to "bail out" Congress chief Sonia Gandhi from a "certain disqualification" as MP, sources said late on Wednesday night.

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This was understood to have been decided at a meeting at the official residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh which ended at the stroke of midnight.

The sources said 62 petitions relating to disqualification of MPs on the ground that they hold offices of profit were pending.

The meeting was also attended Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Law Minister HR Bhardwaj, Parliamentary Affairs Minister PR Dasmunsi, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal and union minister Suresh Pachauri.