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The government faced flak in Parliament on Saturday, with the Opposition attacking it for “undue haste” in passing the 120th constitutional amendment Bill that contained ‘technical errors’. The Bill that paves the way for the creation of a new system of appointment of judges was titled the Constitution (120th) Amendment Bill; whereas it should have read as Constitution (99th) Amendment Bill.
This led to much ruckus from the Opposition benches causing the Rajya Sabha to be adjourned twice. Law Minister Kapil Sibal had to tender an apology to the House. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Homework was not done. We were misled into passing it. The minister has committed a mistake, he should feel sorry for his act. The law minister should apologise to the House. He must apologise, anguish would not do." Prasad went on to accuse the government of rushing through the Bill in the Upper House when it was not even taken up in the Lower House. The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday.
The law minister, while trying to explain the issue earlier, had said, "I am deeply anguished with the fact that the Constitutional Amendment Bill could not be taken up by the Lok Sabha."
He said the Secretariat had realised some error had taken place when introducing the bill. “The patent error was immediately intimated to the Chairman who corrected it and transmitted it to the Lok Sabha. The Bill was printed and ready for passage. However, I regret, despite our best efforts, it could not be taken up by the Lok Sabha. It was not intentional," he said.
The Bill that paves the way for creation of a Judicial Appointments Commission to recommend appointments and transfers of judges of the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts was passed by the Rajya Sabha two days back amid a walkout by the BJP, which wanted it to be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
However the main Bill, the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2013, which defines the establishment of the proposed body has already been referred to the Standing Committee.
