Press Trust of India / New Delhi Aug 03, 2009, 14:12 IST
In a major setback to the UPA government, a united opposition today stalled in the Rajya Sabha the introduction of a controversial bill, which seeks declaration of judges' assets without making them public.
Law Minister M Veerappa Moily was forced to defer the Judges (Declaration of Assets and Liabilities) Bill, 2009 after the Opposition, including BJP and Left, took strong objection to Clause VI of the Bill which states that High Court and Supreme Court Judges would declare their assets but the same would not be made public.
After failing to muster support of the Opposition and sensing the mood of the House, including from the Congress members, Moily said "it (introduction of the Bill) is deferred."
Opposition to a Bill at the introduction stage itself is a rare phenomenon prompting Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan to cite an earlier ruling and seek the opinion of the House.
The Congress has to go by consensus as in the 245-member Upper House, the party and its allies have a strength of 79.
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