No assent, Kalam keeps suspense on OoP intact

Commenting on the legal-constitutional provisions of the issue, legal expert K K Venugopal said: 8216;8216;Once Parliament returns a Bill a second time with or without incorporating changes, the President has no option but to sign it. He has already exercised the constitutional option he had by returning the Bill once for reconsideration.8217;8217;

On the point that the Constitution is silent on the time-frame within which the President needs to given his consent to a Bill, Venugopal said, 8216;8216;It can be kept pending for an indefinite period of time. As Parliament has already relegislated the Bill, the President is bound by the Constitution to sign it.8217;8217;

On May 30, Kalam had sent back the Prevention of Disqulaification Amendment Bill to Parliament for reconsideration with a list of suggestions. After much deliberations on the suggestions made by the President, the Bill was re-passed in Parliament without any alteration amidst stiff opposition from the BJP.

Meanwhile, to complicate matters further, the Election Commission 8212; whose opinion President sought on the office-of-profit petitions 8212; has issued a fresh notice to Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. The petitions against CPIM MPs too are in final stages of consideration.

One of the points raised by the President while returning the Bill was about the fate of the petitions pending before EC. He has also urged both Houses of Parliament to reconsider the propriety of the applicability of law with retrospective effect 8212; required to bring relief to MPs facing disqualification charges.