The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat following a plea filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament Raghav Chadha. The petition challenges his suspension from the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's Parliament.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi and lawyer Shadan Farasat, representing Chadha, that the suspension cannot extend beyond the particular session during which the decision to suspend the member was made.
The top court issued the notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat only on the plea which will be heard on October 30.
e moved the apex court on October 10, seeking restoration of his membership in the Upper House.
The AAP leader was suspended from the Rajya Sabha on August 11 for allegedly "breach of privilege" after four MPs filed complaints against him in the parliament. Chadha will remain suspended till a report of a committee of privileges is furnished.
Earlier acting upon the complaints filed by four MPs - Sasmit Patra, S Phangnon Konyak, M Thambidurai and Narhari Amin -, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar suspended him till a report of a committee of privileges was submitted.
The complainants accused Chadha of proposing their name for the constitution of a Select Committee without their consent in violation of rules, to the privileges committee to examine and investigate the matter. According to the rules, neither a member's consent nor signature is required to propose his or her name for a Select Committee.
He had proposed the constitution of a select committee to consider the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and had included the names of the four MPs.
Meanwhile, the suspension of another AAP MP Sanjay Singh was also extended till the committee of privilege files its report in Rajya Sabha.
(With agency inputs)
Also read: BJP’s political might is shrinking due to misuse of power: Sharad Pawar
