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EC notice to Jharkhand CM on office of profit charge

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Polity & Governance
  • Published
    4th May, 2022

The Election Commission (EC) has sent a notice to Jharkhand CM over an office-of-profit charge against him for allotment of a mining lease in his name last year.

Context

The Election Commission (EC) has sent a notice to Jharkhand CM over an office-of-profit charge against him for allotment of a mining lease in his name last year.

What is ‘Office of Profit’?

  • MPs and MLAs, as members of the legislature, hold the government accountable for its work.
  • The essence of disqualification is if legislators hold an ‘office of profit’ under the government, they might be susceptible to government influence, and may not discharge their constitutional mandate fairly.
  • The intent is that there should be no conflict between the duties and interests of an elected member.
  • Hence, the office of profit law simply seeks to enforce a basic feature of the Constitution- the principle of separation of power between the legislature and the executive.

Factors constituting an ‘office of profit’

  • The 1959 law does not clearly define what constitutes an office of profit but the definition has evolved over the years with interpretations made in various court judgments.
  • An office of profit has been interpreted to be a position that brings to the office-holder some financial gain, or advantage, or benefit. The amount of such profit is immaterial.
  • In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled that the test for determining whether a person holds an office of profit is the test of appointment.
  • Several factors are considered in this determination including factors such as
    • whether the government is the appointing authority
    • whether the government has the power to terminate the appointment
    • whether the government determines the remuneration
    • what is the source of remuneration
    • the power that comes with the position

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