682 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Dr. Ambedkar: It is true that it exists in England but I think we can very safely leave it to our electorate to see that this Parliament is not constituted of the deaf, the dumb and the maimed and that we have people here who are physically fit to hear, to speak and to move about.
Some Members have said that we have not included in our disqualification clause persons like blackmarketers and so on. I think that was a point made by Prof. K. T. Shah. With regard to that all that I would like to say is that in making a law it is not enough to pursue an ideal: It is very necessary to see that the ideal must be a practical one. And I do not think that my Friend Prof. K. T. Shah has applied his mind to the practical side of giving effect to some of the idealistic theories that he has propounded with regard to this clause.
Another point was with regard to disqualifications arising out of offences and sentences passed for certain crimes. With regard to that it is possible to take three different positions. One position is this that punishment for a crime is enough of a punishment and that it should not involve any further disqualification for standing as a Member for Parliament. I think that is one view which can be taken. The other view that can be taken is this that we should have a disqualification attached not to the punishment but to the nature of the offence, whether it involves moral turpitude or does not involve moral turpitude. That is the second view that one can take. The third view is the view that is taken in this Bill. This view has been adopted in this country ever since elections began. I do not know of any period when we had a provision in our law saying that although a man has committed an offence and has been sentenced to imprisonment for a certain period he shall not incur any disqualification.
Right or wrong, that is the law that we have adopted throughout. Consequently there has been no departure so far as this Bill is concerned. We are not introducing anything that is new. We are merely adopting what has already been in existence.
Sardar Sochet Singh: What about heavy fines such as Rs. 50,000?