It's 2017, not 1817: Rahul slams Raje over bill shielding public servants

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over a controversial ordinance, pointing out that the year was "2017, not 1817".

“Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21st century. It's 2017, not 1817,” Gandhi tweeted.

He also tagged a news report titled 'Rajasthan ordinance is against free speech, say legal experts'. The report said the ordinance prohibited an investigation without prior sanction against judicial officers and public servants and also restricted the media.

It said under the proposed law, the media cannot report on accusations against magistrates and others until the prosecution gets the go-ahead from the sanctioning authority.

The state government said in a release last night there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.

Read: Rajasthan: Withdraw bill that protects govt officials from media probe, says Cong

Meanwhile, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said that the ordinance must be withdrawn.

"You need to understand the hidden meaning behind this bill. While on the onset, this looks like a bill that has been passed to protect bureaucrats and officials, such is not the case. Furthermore, by censoring the media, the reason for the ordinance can be further ascertained. I think there is still scope for the government to withdraw the bill," Gehlot told ANI.

Alleging Raje and Home Minister Rajnath Singh of interfering in the investigation process, Gehlot claimed that innocent lives were being troubled with the introduction of this ordinance, adding that there may be a delay in the investigation.

"With the passing of this ordinance, filing an FIR would need government approval. When has the government approved such things? This is the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) move to counter those opposing them," he said.

The Rajasthan Government has passed an ordinance protecting both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without prior sanction.

According to the ordinance, 180 days of immunity is provided to the officers. If no decision is taken on the sanction after the stipulated period, the sanction will be automatically granted.

The ordinance is an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and also restricts publishing name, address, photograph, and family details of the public servants.