Government today said it was working on a proposal to prevent the entry of criminals into politics. Law Minister Kapil Sibal said he was trying to build a consensus within Congress for steps to put appropriate barriers in place which would prevent criminals from entering politics.

He added that the party was serious about the issue. The Law Minister termed the passage of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill in Parliament as his top priority and said he was willing to give the Chief Justice of India Constitutional status in the proposed body to rule out speculation that at a later stage the CJI could be removed as its chairperson.

Sibal had recently introduced in Rajya Sabha an enabling bill – the Constitution (120th) Amendment Bill – and the JAC Bill, 2013, which defines the establishment of the proposed body to recommend appointment and transfer of SC and High Court judges.