Bills passed by the Delhi Assembly in 2015 that are pending final clearance are being reviewed by the Delhi government, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asking the Law Department to find ways of breaking the impasse.
Of 17 Bills that were passed by the Assembly, the President had withheld his assent for two Bills: one that gives protection from disqualification to AAP MLAs that were appointed as parliamentary secretaries, and another that amends the Criminal Procedure Code.
A Bill regarding Value Added Tax was no longer relevant with the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax on July 1. Fourteen Bills were returned to the Delhi government in 2016, with the Centre saying at that time that the AAP government had not taken consent of the Lieutenant-Governor.
Since then, the Bills have not been cleared. Among the pending Bills are the Jan Lokpal Bill and another that provides for a substantial hike to MLAs’ salaries.
Pending with centre
A senior official said that the CM had asked the Law Department to find solutions, including reviewing the objections raised.
Law Minister Kailash Gahlot said that the department had been reviewing the pending Bills, and would hold another meeting next Wednesday.
According to the department, five Bills were pending with the Centre while the others were with the department itself for its comment.
Needs clarification
Bills concerning the Education Department required a clarification from the Delhi government while another Bill on salaries for Ministers, Leader of Opposition and Chief Whip is pending with the AAP government for clarification.
“We have requested the secretaries of the departments concerned to follow up as well,” said Mr. Gahlot.
