JAIPUR: Amid opposition by its own senior MLA, the
Vasundhara Raje government in
Rajasthan on Monday got extension until the next
assembly session for deciding the fate of the controversial 'gag bill', which proposes to make it mandatory for judicial magistrates to seek government approval before ordering probes against judges, magistrates and public servants.
The Criminal Laws (
Rajasthan Amendments) Bill, 2017, which the Congress and the civil rights activists had termed 'black law' or 'gag law' saying it aimed at protecting the corrupt and gaging the media, was tabled during the last assembly session in October 2017. The bill proposes a jail term of up to two years for mediapersons who disclose names of officials against whom government sanction is pending.
The bill was to replace an ordinance by the same name promulgated in September last year. Following a nationwide opposition and controversy over the matter, the Raje government got the bill referred to the assembly's select committee, while allowing the ordinance to lapse in December 2017. The select committee was to submit its report on the bill during the first week of the budget session.
On day one of the budget session on Monday, home minister
Gulab Chand Kataria, select committee chairperson, sought the house's permission to extend the deadline until the first week of the next assembly session, which is likely to be held around the monsoon season (August-September).
