'Disqualify 13 legislators under office-of-profit clause'

A complaint has been filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking disqualification of 11 MLAs and two other legislators of the state as they held positions of office-of-profit.

The complaint filed by one B R Prasad of Hassan district has named 11 parliamentary secretaries and three other legislators for holding positions of office-of-profit and has sought their disqualification.

The ECI has in turn forwarded the complaint to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and Chairman of the Legislative Council to hold necessary proceedings and take suitable action.
Assembly Secretary S Murthy, in a notice to the complainant, has stated that he should depose before Speaker K G Koliwad on August 23 to provide details and supporting material regarding his complaint.

Secretariat sources said legislators who have been appointed parliamentary secretaries to assist various Cabinet ministers face no threat of disqualification. The JD(S)-BJP coalition government in 2006 amended the Karnataka Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) Act to exclude the post of parliamentary secretary from the purview of the office-of-profit clause.

However, it was not clear whether disqualification clause would apply to MLC V S Urgappa, who heads a panel to women’s safety and another MLC Jayamala, who heads a committee to study the problems of sex workers, devadasis and sexual minorities in the state. Council Chairman D H Shankaramurthy said he had received the letter from ECI and would look into it shortly.
DH News Service