510 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
an offence enacted by the penal law of the country as distinguished from an electoral offence, for instance, an offence under the Penal Code or some other local criminal law. The third one was the disqualification which was founded on what might be called the actual serving of a sentence during the course of the election. That will be found in the original clause 7, sub-clause (2). And the fourth was failure to lodge election expenses in accordance with the law and within the time.
So far as these original proposals are concerned, the only change to which the Select Committee has made is with regard to the disqualification contained in sub-clause (2) of clause 7.
[M R . D EPUTY S PEAKER in the Chair ]
That provision the Select Committee has dropped. And the reason is this that the clause is unnecessary so far as a sentence is for two years or more. If the sentence is for less than two years the Committee felt that there was no necessity to enact a disqualification on that ground because, assuming that a man was elected to the House, it would still be necessary for him to obtain the permission of the House to absent himself beyond sixty days, which is the rule now, and if the House did not grant him the permission his seat might thereby be rendered vacant. On that ground the Committee felt that it was unnecessary to retain it.
To this clause 7 the Committee has added four new disqualifications which are very important. The first is that the holding of a contract with Government would, under the provisions now made by the Select Committee, be a disqualification. Secondly, the holding of a licence or permit from Government for dealing in commodities which are subject to control so far as their price or movement is concerned would also be a disqualification. Thirdly, the holding of a Directorship in a company in which the Government has a share or interest would be a disqualification ; and fourthly, dismissal of a Government servant for corruption. These are the four new disqualifications which the Select Committee has added to the original clause.