Statute panel gets down to brasstacks finally

New Delhi, March 23: The Constitution review commission in its first meeting today identified eight core areas for scrutiny including enla...

New Delhi, March 23: The Constitution review commission in its first meeting today identified eight core areas for scrutiny including enlargement of fundamental rights and working of Article 356 but did not touch the controversial issue of barring persons of foreign origin from holding high public offices.

The 11-member commission chaired by Justice M N Venkatachaliah set the controversy over the nature and scope of the commission by clarifying that quot;its function is to review the working of the Constitution and not to re-write the Constitution.quot;

The eight core areas identified by the commission for examination are: Menace of defections, constitutional provisions on removal of poverty, working of Article 356 and appointment and removal of governors, decentralisation of powers and strengthening of panchayat raj, enlargement of fundamental rights, effective enforcement of directive principles, fundmental duties and provisions relating to fiscal and monetary policies.

Asked about the controversy over the remarks of former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma, who attended the meeting, on barring persons of foreign origin occupying high public offices, the commission spokesman Justice B P Jeevan Reddy said quot;that question did not come up during the deliberations of the commission today.quot;

Asked whether the issue was not an important one for deliberation by the commission, Justice Reddy said quot;that question will be taken up if all the members unanimously felt that it should be discussed.quot;

On fundamental rights, Justice Venkatachaliah said the commission would examine enlargement of these rights by specific incorporation of the freedom of media, right to compulsory education, right to privacy and right to information.

Apart from Justice Venkatachaliah and Justice Reddy, other members present during the deliberations were former Supreme Court judge R S Sarkaria, Attorney General AG Soli J Sorabjee, former AG K Parasaran, retired Andhra Pradesh high court judge K Punniah, editor of The Statesman C R Irani, former ambassador to US Abid Hussain, former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash Kashyap and former MP and grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi Sumitra Kulkarni.

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Justice Venkatachalaih told reporters that there was need to maintain and strengthen institutions of parliamentary democracy and their accountability as also the grave and persisting menace of unprincipled defections.

Protection of the constitutional rights of scheduled castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes and the minorities required to be effectively ensured and improved, he said.

The chairman said commission proposed to prepare a consultation paper on each of these eight areas along with a questionnaire to invite views and suggestions from public, political parties and statutory vommissions.

The commission would elicit the responses of statutory bodies such as national commissions for SC/ST, OBCs, minorities, women and national human rights commission.

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It would also seek the views of trade unions, representative bodies of trade and industry, bar associations, universities and colleges, academicians, research institutes, media, NGOs and other concerned organisations.

After getting the responses, the proposed recommendations of the commission would be put to public debate, Justice Venkatachaliah said.

He said quot;after considering the various view-points and responses elicited and received, the commission would formulate and forward its recommendations to the government of India.quot;

The chairman said the commission8217;s function is essentially advisory in nature though it would examine the working of the present provisions in the Constitution and the applicable laws and practice and consider how better to achieve these objectives.