JAILED U. P. MLAs NOT TO ATTEND HOUSE SESSIONS

Uttar Pradesh legislators who are currently serving a jail term, will no longer be allowed to attend the sessions of the state legislature. The Yogi Adityanath government has decided to strongly oppose permission given to these legislators to attend the session of the state legislature by different courts. In a government order, the principal home secretary Arvind Kumar has cited the Supreme Court verdict in the K. Anandan Nambiar versus chief secretary, government of Madras that says that “once a Member of a Legislative Assembly is arrested and lawfully detained, though without actual trial, under any Preventive Detention Act, there can be no doubt that under the law as it stands, he cannot be permitted to attend the sittings of the House”. The principal home secretary has also cited the example of former BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari who was jailed on charges of murder and then barred from attending the Assembly sessions by the high court. “If any legislator who is in jail applies for permission to attend the House sessions, we will strongly oppose the same”, the official said.