& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

EC unwilling to get empowered

SHAKHAWAT L1TON
The Election Commission has rejected a proposal to strengthen its authority to cancel membership of MPs for concealing or distorting information in the affidavits submitted for contesting the national polls.
A proposal drafted by the past EC led by ATM Shamsul Huda had offered to
empower voters and candidates to move anytime against such MPs, insiders say.
As per the proposal, the EC upon receiving a complaint could launch an enquiry and cancel membership of any MP if they were found guilty.
This authority, if bestowed on the commission, would supplement its existing
FROM PAGE 1 power to scrap one's candidacy in the polls for committing serious electoral offences.
Currently, the Representation of the People Order allows only a contesting candidate to file a petition with the High Court on grounds of electoral malpractices within 45 days of publishing the results in official gazette.
The voters now have no authority to do anything if any candidate conceals information or furnishes false information in their affidavits. Even the contesting candidates cannot file a petition after the stipulated 45 days despite having proof of offence committed by a rival.
The past EC had made the proposal to plug legal loopholes in light of its experience of failure to take action against two MPs - BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Jatiya Party
Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader.
Both the incumbent lawmakers had provided incomplete information about their educational qualification in their affidavits.
The current EC led by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad while reviewing the reform proposals dropped a number of provisions and sent the draft back to the law ministry to translate it into law.
The EG has later also decided not to retain the authority to scrap candidacy citing this power “meaningless” and "non-applicable” and asked its Secretariat to send the proposal to the law ministry to scrap this provision.
"We drafted the proposal to stop distortion or concealment of information in the affidavits. Our intention was to empower the commission further to ensure a free and fair parliamentary
election," former chief election commissioner Shamsul Huda told The Daily Star yesterday.
If the electoral law was not amended in line with the proposal, the EC would remain powerless in case of such electoral offences, he added.
Contacted over phone yesterday, Election Commissioner Abu Hafiz however claimed they did not drop any proposals drafted by the past EC.
However, The Daily Star has collected a copy of the proposals sent to the law ministry and found that a number of past EC's proposals including the one regarding information were dropped.
The electoral laws were amended before the December 29, 2008 parliamentary polls following a verdict of the Supreme Court. The amendment made it mandatory for the candidates to submit an
eight-point particular.
According to the new provision, a candidate must submit an attested copy of the certificate of his or her highest educational qualification; records if he or she is accused of any criminal offence; ifheorshe has any past criminal record, and, if any, the judgement of the case; description of his or her profession or business; probable sources of income; a statement of property or debt, etc.
These pieces of information are publicised by the returning officers among the voters of the respective constituencies so that they may learn about the candidates.
But the existing provision does not specify anything about what will happen if any candidate, after being elected, is found guilty of concealing information or providing false information.