RS panel on enemy property to meet today

The Select Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016 will hold its first meeting on Monday during which Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi will give a presentation.

The Select Committee, headed by BJP member Bhupender Yadav, has been asked to carry out a detailed scrutiny of the measure that seeks to guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan and China after the wars and amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968.

The panel has been tasked to scrutinise the bill and submit its report in the opening week of the second part of the Budget Session.

Since it is the maiden meeting of the committee, which was set up on March 15, besides holding preliminary discussion on the bill it will discuss and finalize its sittings.

The panel will hear the presentation by the Home Secretary during the meeting where members are expected to seek clarifications regarding some provisions, which have raised eyebrows.

The Upper House had on March 15 adopted a motion for referring the Bill, which seeks to amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968, and the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, as passed by Lok Sabha.

The panel was asked to submit the report by the last day of the first week of the second part of the Budget session.

The first part of the session, which began on February 23, concluded on March 16 while its second part will commence on April 25 and wrap up on May 13. The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on March 9.