Kapil Sibal Proposes 10-Year Ban for Political Defectors

Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal proposed a complete overhaul of the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution to eliminate political defections. Speaking at an All India Lawyers Union event in Kochi, Sibal argued for scrapping the current schedule and replacing it with a single provision that would bar any legislator who switches parties mid-term from holding public office or constitutional authority for ten years.

Sibal specifically targeted the loophole allowing two-thirds of a legislative party to cross over without disqualification by labeling the move a merger. He asserted that "a merger is a merger of political parties and not a collective walkout by legislators." To address this, Sibal has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of India seeking a declaration that mergers must involve the entire political party rather than just its legislative wing.

The proposal comes amid significant political instability, including a leadership struggle within the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the defection of 20 of its 28 MPs to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. The Cockroach Janta Party backed the initiative, with national convener Abhijeet Dipke calling the ban the "need of the hour," while co-convenor Saurav Das advocated for an even stricter 20-year ban to prevent the toppling of governments through bribery.