In a major relief for 18 Congress legislators in Delhi against whom complaints were pending with the Election Commission on the office of profit issue, President A P J Abdul Kalam is learnt to have given assent to a bill seeking to exempt several posts under the NCT government from the purview of office of profit.

Kalam has given his assent to the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006, and the Delhi goverment will soon issue a notification regarding it, sources said.

The petition with the EC had been filed by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vijay Jolly who said the MLAs nominated to the Delhi government's apex and district-level committees received salaries and allowances and use of government vehicles while holding offices of profit.

The bill seeking to avert their possible disqualification from the House, which would have reduced the ruling Congress to a minority, had been passed by the Delhi Assembly in May.

It sought exemption for 14 posts from the office of profit definition with retrospective effect from September 1997.

Among them were posts of chairmen and vice chairmen of Trans-Yamuna Area Development Board, Rural Development Board, parliamentary secretary to the chief minister, chairmen of the nine district development committees and chairperson of SC/ST Welfare Board.