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Rajasthan tables 'immunity' Bill amid din, may remove some clauses

State party head Sachin Pilot along with over 50 leaders was detained by the police when he was en route to the Governor House to petition the President of India.

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Congress workers protest against the Bill in Jaipur
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The government on Monday tabled the Criminal Code of Procedure (Rajasthan Amendment Bill), 2017, amid huge protests from the Opposition, both in the House and outside, even as two Union Ministers strongly backed the controversial piece of legislation. Government sources, however, indicated late in the night that some contentious clauses, including the one seen as a gag on the media, might be dropped.

Congress MLAs staged a walkout in protest against the Bill that seeks to shield public servants and politicians from prosecution without prior approval. State party head Sachin Pilot along with over 50 leaders was detained by the police when he was en route to the Governor House to petition the President of India.

BJP MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari and NPP MLA Kirori Lal Meena also joined the Congress in opposing the Bill that bars courts from taking up complaints against judges, ministers without the government's nod.

Meanwhile, two writ petitions were filed in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the proposed law and calling it unconstitutional.

However, two Union ministers defended the Bill, saying the move was aimed at insulating honest officers and prevent policy paralysis. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Bill was aimed at preventing motivated complaints. His junior minister PP Chaudhary said the idea was not to defend the corrupt or wrong-doers, but to ensure that honest judges, magistrates and public servants were not harassed.

"What I have gathered is that the idea is that there should not be any motivated complaint. Officers were feeling harassed in discharging their duties," Prasad told reporters at a press conference at the BJP headquarters.

In an interview to PTI, Chaudhary said the amendments in the code of criminal procedure and the code of civil procedure seek to "insulate" public servants from day-to-day allegations driven by "vested interests which create a fear psychosis in their minds and ultimately lead to indecision and policy paralysis."

He said the Maharashtra assembly cleared a similar legislation in 2015. A meeting of BJP MLAs was held on Monday at the state Assembly. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje presided over the meeting and instructed all MLAs not to let the Opposition dominate.

(With PTI inputs)

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