The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition walked out of the Assembly on Tuesday, accusing the government of systematically dismantling anti-corruption mechanisms in the State.
Earlier, Congress legislator Sunny Joseph had petitioned Speaker M.B. Rajesh to adjourn the House for an emergency debate on the Lok Ayukta amendment Ordinance.
However, Mr. Rajesh turned down the request on the ground that it contravened the legislative convention.
Moreover, the High Court was considering a plea challenging the legal validity of the executive order. Mr. Rajesh said the Opposition could table a resolution to reject the Ordinance when the Assembly considered a Bill to replace the executive order.
Law Minister P. Rajeeve said the government had not subverted the anti-corruption powers of the Lok Ayukta as propagandised by the UDF. It had only corrected an anomaly in Section 14 of the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999.
The provision made it binding on the competent authority, the Governor in the case of the Chief Minister, to throw an erring official out of public office if the Lok Ayukta issued a declaration of guilt. The Section also lacked an appeal provision and applied to all tiers of government from the Cabinet-level and downwards.
Mr. Rajeeve said the executive order had amended the harsh section in the spirit of natural justice and the Lok Pal law. It had not touched the ombudsman’s powers to investigate corruption charges, submit a report or recommend prosecution under Sections 9, 12 and 15 of the Act.
Mr. Joseph said Mr. Rajeeve should first convince the Communist Party of India (CPI) about the moral correctness of the amendment before haranguing the Opposition. Earlier, the CPI had publicly expressed scepticism about the Ordinance. It reportedly felt that the CPI(M) had bulldosed the political decision through the Cabinet without sufficient consultations in the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the government had promulgated the executive order to shield Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from prosecution in at least four corruption cases pending before the Lok Ayukta.
