Kapil Sibal’s said this when Congress in Rajasthan is facing a rebellion by Sachin Pilot, MLAs (File)
New Delhi:
Elected representatives should be barred from holding public office for five years and from contesting the next election if they defect, senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal said on Saturday.
Mr Sibal, who was addressing a webinar, said that the “endemic” of defection is due to human greed and hunger for power.
His remarks come at a time when the ruling Congress in Rajasthan is facing a rebellion by Sachin Pilot and MLAs loyal to him. Just months earlier, party legislators led by Jyotiraditya Scindia had defected to the BJP in Madhya Pradesh leading to the collapse of the Congress government there.
“No law can prevent it (defection). The only solution is that if anyone defects they shall not hold public office for five years and cannot contest in the next election. These are the two elements that need to change,” Mr Sibal said in response to a question on the political crisis in Rajasthan.
Speaking on the collegium system of appointments, Mr Sibal said even the judges are human beings and are swayed by personal likes and dislikes.
“See, even if you give the power to the government, they will misuse it,” he said.
When a person becomes a judge in the Supreme Court, he should give away his personal likes and dislikes. “But over the years, this is not happening,” he said.
The Congress leader also spoke about issues relating to matters of faith and said personally he felt that the top court should not have dealt with the Sabarimala temple case.
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