No more lifetime perks for retired MPs?

NEW DELHI: Various freebies and pension given to former MPs and MLAs like unlimited free train travel have come under judicial scrutiny with Supreme Court on Wednesday said that they seemed “prima facie” unreasonable and sought response from the Centre on why those facilities and allowances given to former law makers should not be scrapped.A bench of Justices J Chelameswar and S Abdul Nazeer favoured framing of guidelines for extending allowances to former members of legislative bodies and also sought response from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretary General. It, however, said that there was nothing wrong in providing some financial assistance to them to ensure that they do not live a life in penury after leaving the office.The court passed the order on a petition filed by NGO, Lok Prahari, seeking its direction to government to do away with unnecessary allowances and perks given to former lawmakers which is being paid from tax payers money.Advocate Kamini Jaiswal , appearing for the NGO, contended that pension is provided to government officials out of fund contributed by the employee and the governemnt but the former law makers are paid pension out of the consolidated fund and they do not have to contribute for it.“Pension is given for the purpose of providing financial assistance to a retired person but 80 per cent MPs are crorepati and they do not require pension. It is a largesse given to them and there is no guidelines and law to regulate facilities provided to them,” she told the bench.She said that issue of providing pension to former MPs was discussed by the constituent assembly while framing the Constitution and it was rejected at that time. Jaiswal pointed out that earlier former law makers were entitled for pension only after completing four years in the House but the law was amended and an ex-MP was made eligible to claim pension if he or she had been member of the House even for a day.She said that the apex court had in 1976 upheld the law to grant pension to former lawmaker but the many unreasonable amendments were subsequently brought in Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act granting various facilities to them. She pleased that all changes in law brought after 1976 in the Act should be quashed.The court, after a brief hearing, said that issues raised by the petitioner needed examination and issued notice to the Centre. It said facilities and allowances given to them must be reasonable and not arbitrary.The petitioner approached the apex court after the Allahabad High Court dismissed its plea. It contended that giving freebies to ex-MPs and MLAs hadresulted in the obnoxious situation where a former MP became an unwarranted burden on the citizens whom they no longer represent.“While the Governors do not have the facility of pension at all, an MP even for a day and his spouse get pension for life. While even serving judges of the Supreme Court and high courts do not have the facility of free air/train travel for their spouses even on official tours, ex-MPs enjoy unlimited free train travel for life in AC-II with a companion 365 days a year,” the petition said.