The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 has been enacted to declare that certain offices of profit under the Government shall not disqualify the office holders for being elected as, or for being, members of Parliament. For instance, any office held by a Minister, Minister of State or Deputy Minister for the Union or for any State; the office of Chief Whip, Deputy Chief Whip or Whip in Parliament or of a Parliamentary Secretary; the office of member of any force raised or maintained under the National Cadet Corps Act, 1948, the Territorial Army Act, 1948, or the Reserve and Auxiliary Air Forces Act, 1952; the office of a member of a Home Guard constituted under any law for the time being in force in any State; the office of sheriff in the city of Bombay, Calcutta or Madras; the office of chairman or member of the syndicate, senate, executive committee, council or court of a university or any other body connected with a university; the office of a member of any delegation or mission sent outside India by the Government for any special purpose; etc. The Act provides that immediately before the commencement of this Act, if a person being a member of Parliament held an office of profit, declared (under any law which has been repealed by this Act) not to disqualify the holder thereof for being such member, becomes so disqualified by reason of any of the provisions contained in this Act and if such office is held by such person for any period not extending beyond a period of six months from the commencement of this Act, he shall not be disqualified for being a member of Parliament.
