Plea in SC on restraining Centre from amending electoral law

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to stay the proceedings to amend the electoral law to nullify its two landmark verdicts disqualifying MPs and MLAs on conviction and debarring arrested persons from contesting polls.
The application filed by President of Haryana Swatantra Party Ramesh Dalal submitted that the amendment should not be brought by Parliament till the apex court decides the review pleas filed by him, the Centre and other political parties against the two landmark judgements.
"The Amendment Bill is being proceeded by the Union of India without waiting for the logical end of the review petitions. With this reason, it is against the provision of the Constitution and hence the amendment proceedings in Parliament is not only unconstitutional but also an attempt to create a public opinion that there is direct conflict between the judiciary and the executive or the legislature," the petition said.

"The Parliament cannot amend a statutory or constitutional provison till the review petition is decided on the same subject by the court," it said.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear review petitions in an open court on September 4 against the verdicts.
A bench of justices A K Patnaik and S J Mukhopadhaya decided to hear the review plea, which is normally decided by judges in chamber, in open court and posted the matter for heaing on September 4.