New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed the Vasundhara Raje Government in Rajasthan for bringing an ordinance that provides for punishment for mediapersons publishing names of public servants guilty of corruption. As per the Ordinance, anyone found violating the restriction on printing, publishing or publicising the names, photographs and details of public servants, judges and magistrates for whom the sanction is yet to be granted, will be punished with two years’ imprisonment and fine. Taking to twitter, Mr Rahul Gandhi said, 'Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817.' He also posted on his twitter handle a report on the ordinance brought by the state government.
The ordinance, promulgated last month, prohibits investigation without prior sanction against “a Judge or a Magistrate or a public servant” for any “act done by them while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of their official duties”. Under the new law, the media too cannot report on the accusation against such a person until the prosecution gets the go-ahead from the sanctioning authority, which may take up to six months. The Indian Express had on Saturday reported that the Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan was ready with a Bill to replace the ordinance. The Opposition Congress has criticised the Rajasthan governmet for bringing the ordinance. They have alleged that the BJP government, which was “neck-deep in corruption”, wanted to protect its criminal and corrupt officials. Rajasthan Pradesh Congress president Sachin Pilot said that the ordinance would create a cover for wrongdoing by government officials and encourage others to indulge in corruption.
Reacting to the ordinance, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said,'Raj Ordinance is brazen and arrogant attempt to protect corruption and wrongdoing .' He said that a gag order has been placed against the press reporting while the accused would get an opportunity to destroy evidence. In a tweet, senior congress leader Kapil Sibal said,'Rajasthan's Ordinance a milestone in gagging the press and protecting the corrupt. Media out till sanction to prosecute. Thinking ahead ?.' (UNI)
